NEPA says there is still some amount of oil sheen visible on the water surface in the Rio Cobre.
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Angela Hamilton, Public Education and Corporate Communication Manager at NEPA
By Nakinskie Robinson
The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) says it has served an enforcement notice on Trade Winds Limited to clean up and remediate the immediate environs of the oil spill in the Rio Cobre in Bog Walk St. Catherine.
NEPA says further enforcement, including legal action against the company, will follow.
It said it was notified of the incident on December 11 and dispatched a team to conduct investigations.
Investigations revealed that the spill emanated from a factory in the area.
Further details identified the source of the leak as a malfunctioning boiler from the old Jamaica Beverage Plant, now owned and operated by Trade Winds Citrus Limited.
NEPA said that facility has the required bunding to contain the oil; however, the leak that occurred last weekend was from the defective boiler.
A bunding is a spill containment system which forms a secondary perimeter around stored liquids.
At this point, NEPA has said it is unable to quantify the volume of heavy fuel oil that has escaped.
It said there is still some amount of oil sheen visible on the water surface and it has engaged Petrojam to assist with clean-up efforts.
As such, NEPA is advising resource users of the river, including fisher folk and recreational and domestic users to be mindful of oil traces and to exercise caution.
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