U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seeks to raise pool at Webbers Falls

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Tulsa has requested to raise the pool at Webbers Falls to 491.5 feet for 24 hours to facilitate barge movement.

The request made Wednesday with Southwestern Division Headquarters continues the efforts to recover two sunken barges at Webbers Falls. The pool reached 491 feet Tuesday morning.

Flooding caused two barges to break from constraints and crash into a lock and dam in May, obstructing three gates from closing. Water flow at the gates is now estimated at 55,000 cubic feet per second.

The Tulsa World reports shipping on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System will remain halted.

David Yarbrough, port director at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa, says it will take months for navigation to return to pre-flood conditions.