Columbia River tar balls likely from barge

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — The Coast Guard says 25 dark, sticky tar balls found this week in the Columbia River four miles downstream from a derelict barge likely came from the Davy Crockett.

Tests indicate the balls don’t contain heavy metals or PCBs. They were found under the Interstate 205 bridge.

The 431-foot former World War II Liberty ship was converted to a barge and has been beached for years for scrapping near Camas in southwest Washington. The barge buckled in half in January, releasing a stream of pollution.

Since then, Coast Guard and environmental regulators have been working with a contractor to stabilize the vessel, contain pollution releases and remove the barge from the river.

The Oregonian says the work includes using divers to pump out heavy bunker fuel from the barge’s double hull. Regulators believe the tar balls escaped during that process.

The Coast Guard says cleanup costs are likely to top $7.5 million, covered by payments from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.