Shrimp Boats Are A Coming!

  OK, so maybe they're not Shrimp Boats.
  But that's what I thought of when I saw those
two large vessels cruising the Susquehanna
River near the Fort Jenkin's Bridge in
Pittston yesterday. I could almost picture
Forest Gump at the helm!
   Then I noticed the huge crane. It was
set up just a few yards away from the old
Butler Tunnel!
   For those too young to remember, that's
a tunnel originally designed to carry water
out of underground coal mines in the
Greater Pittston area.
   It became famous or, rather, infamous
back in the late 70's and mid 80's when
illegal dumping at a truck stop miles away
forced an oily waste out of the tunnel and
into the river!
    I remember a news media colleague of
mine who wondered what would happen if
he tossed a match into the flow! Fortunately
he did not set the river on fire!
   Of course waste oil wasn't the only thing
that came out the Butler Tunnel.
   For many years a lot of homes in the
greater Pittston area had a direct link from
their bathrooms to the mines beneath their
houses and, in turn, into and out of the
tunnel!
    As it turns out the boats I spotted are
part of an Environmental Protection Agency
training exercise for emergency teams that
respond to Superfund sites. They probably
won't find any shrimp in that spot! Lord
knows what they will find! Maybe Jimmy
Hoffa!?
    The crane is being used to lift the boats
in and out of the water. They're big boats!
     Boy! I used to have to launch my boat
by backing my trailer into the river.
     I'm glad the Fed's are making sure their
emergency responders are ready for any
future problems. And it's nice to see boats
using the river even if it's not for fishing!
     Hope you're helping to keep the river
clean and that all your NEWS is good!

      
    
























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