Mississippi River reopens after Monday oil spill, closure

A portion of the Mississippi River in eastern Iowa that was closed to shipping because of an oil spill Monday reopened late Tuesday afternoon.

The spill happened as shippers were scrambling to move barges of grain south ahead of the river's seasonal closure. The U.S. Coast Guard says about 1,800 gallons of oil spilled into the river from a towboat that sank on Monday. About 90 percent of that fuel has been contained but traces have shown up several miles down river.

"The vessel is still actively discharging oil," said Lt. Colin Fogarty, a Coast Guard spokesman. "However, we are taking precautions to prevent further discharge of oil and respond to the oil that is currently in the water."

The Coast Guard and other authorities are trying to prevent nearby ducks from entering the contaminated area.

A spokeswoman for the Waterways Council, an industry trade group, says shipping along that portion of the river was not significantly affected during the closure.