A baffling tar ball emergency that closed major beaches in Sydney’s eastern suburbs appears to be over. The remaining beaches closed to bathers at Coogee, Maroubra and Clovelly have been cleared to reopen on Saturday after Bondi and several others reopened on Friday. But the cause of the deluge of black balls that began washing up on Coogee Beach earlier this week, prompting a major clean-up operation, remains unknown. “We’re investigating to try and find the source of the spill and who is responsible,” the environment minister, Penny Sharpe, said. Tar balls are formed when oil comes into contact with other debris and water, usually as a result of oil spills or seepage.

Source: The Guardian October 18, 2024 23:10 UTC