Defective boiler at Trade Winds Citrus the source of oil spill in Rio Cobre – NEPA
ST CATHERINE, Jamaica – The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) says a malfunctioning boiler from the old Jamaica Beverage Plant, now owned and operated by Trade Winds Citrus Limited, was the source of an oil spill into the Rio Cobre, in the vicinity of Bog Walk, earlier this week.
In a news release on Friday, NEPA revealed that although the facility has the required bunding in place to contain the oil, the leak was as a result of the defective boiler. The agency said having identified the source of the problem, it has acquired the assistance of Petrojam Limited in providing booms, absorbent pads and substances to break down the oil as well as technical advice for the clean-up exercise.
NEPA said it is unable to quantify the volume of heavy fuel oil that escaped in the area but said, so far, “a good portion of the oil has been removed from the environment while some has been contained in drains.”
It said there is still some amount of oil sheen visible on the water surface, stretching from the boom to Bog Walk, and therefore it is advising resource users of the river, including fisherfolk and recreational and domestic users, to be mindful of oil traces and to exercise caution.
NEPA says it has since served an enforcement notice on Trade Winds Limited to clean-up and remediate the immediate environment of the oil spill. It said further enforcement, including legal action against the company, will follow.
The agency on Tuesday said it received a report of the oil spill in the Bog Walk Gorge about 5 pm on Monday and dispatched a team immediately to the area to do an assessment.
