High alert as tide expected to disperse oil slick

THE tide is expected to disperse an oil slick on the west coast where authorities remained on the alert last night against coastal pollution.

Galway County Council said it was fully liaising with the coastguard to safeguard the environment.

It is believed that the potentially pollutant material originated from a wreck which sank off a causeway near Carna in Connemara about 30 years ago.

The county council is investigating reports that disturbance to the vessel occurred during a salvage operation.

The council said its officials were continuing to assess the risk from the oil spill at Máinis.

“It is as yet undetermined as to whether or not the oil spill will reach the coast,” said county secretary Tony Murphy. The coastguard said it was available to assist the county council, but had not received any request for pollution protection.

A coastguard helicopter was yesterday tasked to the scene to assess the environmental damage.

“The area was extensively photographed and the source of the leak determined,” a coastguard spokesperson said.

According to the coastguard, the helicopter crew ascertained that the leak was coming from a vessel which had been in the water for the past 30 years.

A spokesperson said that, if the material in the water was a heavy oil, a clean-up operation would be needed.

The leak, meanwhile, has concerned local environmentalists.

They are particularly concerned because this leak comes just a few months after a similar leak from an industrial estate in the area.

The Irish Seal Sanctuary also urged its volunteers and interested members of the public to check the local beaches and coves for oiled birds.

The sanctuary advised the public, if they should discover an oiled bird, to place it in a cardboard box with a towel and keep it in a warm room. “Do not attempt to wash the bird as this may kill it,” said a sanctuary spokesperson.