Tenn-Tom lock in Mississippi reopens after oil spill cleaned

TISHOMINGO, Miss. (AP) - A lock on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in northeast Mississippi has reopened after a Sept. 8 oil spill was cleaned up.

The Jamie Whitten Lock near Tishomingo had been closed since Sept. 8 after the hull of a barge was pierced, releasing more than 117,000 gallons (443,000 liters) of oil.

WTVA-TV reports the reopened lock faced a significant backlog of barge traffic.

Crews worked to contain the oil spill inside the lock, although the waterway was closed for 4 miles (6.5 kilometers).

The Savage Inland Marine barge was carrying about 321,000 gallons (1.21 million liters) of oil, but nearly two-thirds was safely removed.

It was the second lock closure in Mississippi this year. Silt from floodwaters closed the Aberdeen Lock in the spring. It reopened following dredging in May.

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Information from: WTVA-TV, http://www.wtva.com