Once again, small ball-shaped pieces of debris have washed up along the coast of Sydney, Australia, forcing the closure of nine beaches in the area while experts try to figure out what it is and what to do next. where they come from.
The gray and white balls, most the size of marbles, appear months after mysterious black balls washed ashore, causing eight beaches to close in October. When authorities tested these bullets, they determined that they were likely the result of a sewage spill.
Now Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins says the last balls “could be anything.”
“We don’t know at the moment what it is and that makes the situation even more worrying,” she told the Guardian.
Most debris balls are about the size of a marble.
Handout / Northern Beaches Council
“There’s something leaking or falling…floating there and being tossed around.”
In a statement, Northern Beaches Council said it was working with the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to clean the mystery balls and have them sent for testing.
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Meanwhile, they have advised beachgoers to avoid beaches at Manly, Dee Why, Long Reef, Queenscliff, Freshwater, North and South Curl Curl, North Steyne and North Narrabeen until further notice.
According to the BBC, the debris that washed up in October was widely reported to be “tar balls” but tests found they contained everything from pesticides to hair, cooking oils, soap scum, veterinary drugs, meth and more.
Last October, several beaches, including the iconic Bondi, east of Sydney’s city centre, were closed after thousands of black balls appeared on the shores.
Handout / Northern Beaches Council
Scientists said they resembled blobs of fat, oil and grease – often called fatbergs – which commonly form in sewage systems from human-generated waste and can form when substances accumulate and stick to each other.
The EPA advised the public not to handle debris balls and to report them when they are found.
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