WEBBERS FALLS, Okla. (KFSM) — The last of two barges that came loose and floated downstream during flooding has been lifted from the lock and dam where it has been pinned for months.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, announced in a Facebook post that the last of the barges has been pulled out of the Arkansas River at Lock and Dam 16 near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma.
The barge was one of two that came loose during flooding in May and floated downstream to the lock and dam. The barges collided with the lock and dam and sank, with one of them becoming pinned against one of the floodgates, preventing it from closing.
The barges had been carrying fertilizer.
The Corps began dropping the water levels around Aug. 15 to be able to reach the barges and pull them out. The first barge was removed Aug. 27, the Corps said.