A salvage company has begun the process of cutting apart and removing a Capital Sand Co. dredge that took on water and rolled on its side in the Missouri River during July.
Kirk Farmer, vice president of Farmer Holding Co., told the News Tribune on Wednesday the project is weather-dependent, and he is not sure how long it will take to get done, although they believe it will be sometime this summer.
What's left of the "Kathy Lee" is resting in a sandbar upstream from the Noren Conservation Access and the bridges between Cole and Callaway counties.
The dredge was alone in the water when it rolled over, and no barge was involved, so there was no sand dumped back into the river.
Farmer said the company is in the process of rebuilding the Kathy Lee and expects the vessel to be ready sometime in the late fall.
The company had to create a plan to remove the dredge from the river with the Coast Guard's approval.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the insurance company, INU, were also involved in the planning.
Once the plan was approved, the insurer hired a contractor, who was brought in to remove the dredge from the river.
"We're just as eager as the rest of the community to get it out," Farmer said. "We were glad there were no injuries."
The company brought another dredge to Mid-Missouri from Kansas City, so dredging operations continue.