The National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) says it has identified the likely cause of the contaminants that flowed from Cook’s Landfill into nearby coastal waters, pointing to what officials believe is cooking oil and other effluent improperly discharged onto mangroves adjacent to the site.
Deputy Director of NODS Craig Cole said rainfall, wave action and storm surge along Antigua’s western coast last week contributed to the pollutants being washed from the dumpsite into the bay.
According to Cole, contaminants had been dumped over the hillside directly into mangroves near the landfill. He explained that wave action would have pulled some of the material into the sea, while heavy rainfall forced additional runoff downslope.
Overflow, he said, likely originated as far upslope as the Big Creek area, where the mangrove forest begins.
Cole further acknowledged that the dumping of contaminants had been ongoing “for quite a while,” adding that authorities are now seeing “the effects of actions that are very harmful to the environment.”
Laboratory tests are now underway at the government’s Analytical Services Department to confirm the composition of the oil sheen and to determine whether sewage contamination is also present. Cole said samples are being collected not only at the point of discharge but across a predetermined grid in the bay to assess the wider environmental impact.
The contamination was first reported last week Thursday by someone aboard a vessel travelling through the area. The report was relayed to the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Coast Guard, prompting a coordinated marine response.
Since deploying containment booms, officials say no sheen has been observed beyond the controlled perimeter. An additional 4,500 feet of boom is expected to be installed as a precaution. The West Indies Oil Company conducted inspections around the barrier over the weekend and reported no visible spread beyond the containment line.
On land, the National Solid Waste Management Authority undertook measures to stem the flow of contaminants to the sea and identified an alternate site for effluent disposal. Cole said remedial work is ongoing to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
The Department of Legal Affairs, operating under the Environmental Protection and Management Act (EPMA) 2019, has ordered the affected area closed to facilitate remediation and environmental protection measures.
Meanwhile, the Department of Analytical Services has warned of potential long-term health implications depending on test results. Officials have recommended the development of a long-term environmental sampling plan, along with nature-based mitigation measures such as wetland filtration systems. The laboratory also suggested the establishment of an oil recovery facility as part of a broader remediation strategy.
Authorities say monitoring will continue as they work to determine the full extent of environmental damage and any enforcement action that may follow.
