Philadelphia waste piling up with no barges

City stopped barges after last week’s accident in which a barge struck a Duck Boat.

Since last week’s accident on the Delaware when a barge hit a duck boat, the city has suspended using barges to move waste. The issue is currently under review.

The city of Philadelphia routinely uses barges to transport large amounts of sewage sludge along the Delaware River from waste treatment plants in the Northeast to Southwest Philadelphia. Since the collision of one of those barges with a duck boat on Thursday that has been put on hold. Mayor Michael Nutter says the issue is under review.

“We have not had any barge activity since the incident, it is something of great concern of us in terms of those operations there is a need to move that material that is of a a great concern to us at the same time.”

The mayor says the city is looking at all angles of the issue while they await a report from the National Transportation Safety board into the accident. He adds the federal agency has already told the city the review will be comprehensive and take some time.