Local beaches have been reopened to beachgoers – with the exception of Dee Why – following the discovery of potentially hazardous ball-shaped debris across the Northern Beaches coastline yesterday.
South Curl Curl was also shut this morning but was reopened this afternoon.
Council was notified of the debris on Tuesday morning (14 January 2025) and found evidence of the balls, composed of unidentified substance, on nine beaches.
Working with the EPA, Council closed the affected beaches immediately. Clean up crews were organised to clean the beaches yesterday afternoon and early this morning.
The decision to reopen was made on criteria provided by the EPA.
Debris samples have been sent for testing.
South Curl Curl and Dee Why are still being assessed, and the clean-up is continuing at these locations.
Previously
Nine Beaches from Manly to North Narrabeen have been closed due to potentially hazardous ball-shaped debris found washed up along shores.
Northern Beaches Council became aware of the debris after the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) alerted them this morning
Council is currently working with the state agency to collect samples for testing with a majority of the balls being reported as no larger than marbles.
It follows a similar incident in the Eastern suburbs in October last year where the debris were initially thought to be “tar balls” but later discovered to be a mix of human faeces, oils, fuel and even recreational drugs.
A witness on patrol at Dee Why this morning told Manly Observer the debris was quite small and spread out among the beach.
“They look like the sand. They’re not big, black ones like we saw in the news a few months ago. Yeah, they’re like, they’re like little rabbit poos or kangaroo, little brown ball… it’s spread out,” he said.
“Some surfers were telling me they saw them floating out on the headland here at Dee Why on the weekend, he picked them up in his hand, and they just disintegrate when you rub them.”
There has been no confirmation yet on what the Northern Beaches clumps are made up of or where they came from, but Council workers have gathered on the Manly beach to start the clean up none the less – the operation is expected to take around three hours.
Greens MP and environmental law expert Sue Higginson has pointed the finger at Sydney Water, saying their systemic failure in waste water management has repeatedly discharged sewage material at the city’s beaches in recent months.
“Sydney Water has admitted that the human waste on beaches in Sydney’s east last year may have absorbed wastewater discharges indicating that our current treatment systems are not fit for purpose and the question remains, how much waste products are discharged by Sydney Water as part of their ‘normal operations’?” The Greens MP said in a statement.
“We need to have a serious conversation about the accountability of utilities like Sydney Water, and we must do better when it comes to taking responsibility for subjects like where our crap goes.”
However, the EPA has said testing conducted on the Eastern suburbs’ balls could not pinpoint a source or identify what caused them to form, as there was no source sample available for comparison.
“Results of testing on balls that washed up on Bomba Beach, Kiama, in November found they had a similar composition to the Eastern suburbs’ debris balls. The EPA is still awaiting the final results of tests on balls that washed up on Silver Beach in Kurnell in December,” the statement read.
Northern Beaches Council has said they have collected samples as well as the EPA from the debris washed onto shores today. Though it may be some time until the results are completed and shared.
Council has advised beachgoers to avoid Manly, Dee Why, Long Reef, Queenscliff, Freshwater, North and South Curl Curl, North Steyne and North Narrabeen beaches until further notice and keep away from the material while the clean-up and investigations continue.
