Tug boat sinks

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Emergency crews spent the morning cleaning up Lake Taneycomo after a tug boat sank overnight.According to Branson Fire Department Division Chief Ted Martin, employees with Table Rock Asphalt Construction Co., Inc. arrived at work early Friday and discovered that Gravel Gertie, one of two tug boats owned by the company, partially sank in the water near one of the columns of a train bridge that crosses the lake."It was attached to a barge," Martin said. "Employees noticed that the back end, which was not attached to the barge, was in the water."The boat was pulled back to shore.It is estimated by employees that it had less than 20 gallons of gasoline in its tank, and approximately 10 gallons of oil, both of which had leaked into the lake. A hazardous materials team from the Western Taney County Fire Protection District helped with cleanup. The gas and oil were surrounded with "booms," which were then pulled to shore, where Sunbelt Environmental was waiting to finish the cleanup process.
"It's a pretty simple process," Western Assistant Chief Jim Single said. "Twenty gallons isn't really that big of a deal."According to Martin, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreed to cooperate by not generating power from Table Rock Dam, upstream from the spill. Running the generators would have required more water to run through the lake, complicating cleanup."That's a big challenge for them on a day like today when it's so hot and demand for energy is high," Martin said.According to Martin, Gravel Gertie is Table Rock Asphalt's back-up tug boat.As of Friday morning, there was no indication of why the 40-year-old boat suddenly took on water. He said the boat would be removed from the water so it could be inspected.
Martin said Table Rock Asphalt uses Gravel Gertie and another tug boat, Aggregate Annie II, to scoop rock from the bottom of the lake.The rock is used for various purposes, such as roofing material and landscaping."They not only sell it, but they help keep the river channel clean," Martin said. "They are an important factor in that."

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