Oil spill closes part of Chicago River, south of the city

By Brendan O'Brien

(Reuters) - Part of the Chicago River, south of the third largest city in the United States, was closed on Thursday due to an oil spill, the source of which is unknown, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The U.S. Coast Guard shut down access to Bubbly Creek, a waterway extending from the south branch of the Chicago River, to people and vessels after report of the oil spill, the guard said in a statement.

A second oil spill site was spotted on the south branch of the Chicago River, the guard said.

The size and nature of the oil spill was unclear.

The Environmental Protection Agency was coordinating the recovery and cleanup of the discharge and has deployed a containment boom at the entrance to Bubbly Creek, the guard said.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Himani Sarkar)