Houston Ship Channel closed after animal fat spill

HOUSTON (AP) — Workers with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Texas General Land Office are using pitchforks to pierce chunks of animal fat that spilled into the Houston Ship Channel, shutting down a section of the waterway.

Coast Guard spokesman Richard Brahm says a three-quarter mile section of the channel remains closed after Tuesday’s spill. But no ship traffic has been delayed because the 15,000-gallon spill happened at the end of the channel.

The mess was created after an onshore storage tank owned by agricultural company Jacob Sterns and Sons leaked 250,000 gallons of animal fat. About 15,000 gallons seeped into the channel through a storm drain.

Brahm says the fat solidified as soon as it hit the water. He says the cause of the leak is being investigated.