RICHMOND
Continuing work that started Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard will keep up its ice breaking efforts to open up water on the Kennebec River this weekend.
The Coast Guard typically performs ice breaking on the river during the spring, but recent ice jam flooding created a need to begin that work sooner. It will be determined later if two such operations are required this season.
“It’s possible there will be an additional spring breakout,” said Lt. Matthew Odom. “Several different agencies will work together to make that decision.”
Odom said the weather limited work earlier in the week. The Coast Guard currently has three 65-foot ice breaking harbor tugs on the river. A fourth vessel, a 140- foot ice-breaking tug, is making its way up from New York. Despite the slow start, progress has been made and the vessels were expected to be in the Merrymeeting Bay area this morning.
Odom said the tugs should be near the Kennebec Bridge, connecting Richmond and Dresden, on Saturday. The operation will require the larger tug to get to the bridge. Odom praised residents as there have been no problems with ice fishing shacks to this point.
“Everyone did an outstanding job of public outreach to get shacks off the river,” he said.
The 65-foot tugs don’t have any special ice-breaking equipment, Odom said, but reinforced steel hulls at the front of the boat help break the ice. The 140-footer arriving over the weekend, however, comes with some additional force. The larger tug uses the reinforced steel hull, along with a bubbler system that helps melt the ice. It’s equipped to break up to 27 inches of ice.
The Coast Guard expects to begin Saturday operations near the Kennebec Bridge at about 8:30 a.m. Ice breaking operations are expected to be visible from the shoreline and bridges along the river.
chris@timesrecord.com
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