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Months after mysterious black balls forced the closure of some of Sydney’s most famous beaches, small marble-like debris has begun to appear again on the city’s shores.
The balls, this time gray or white, have led councils to close nine beaches, including the popular Manly and Dee Why, while authorities investigate.
Eight beaches, including Bondi, were closed for several days in October and a massive clean-up was ordered after thousands of black deposits began appearing on the coast.
Tests conducted by authorities determined that those balls were most likely the result of a sewage spill.
Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins said the last dances “could be anything”, according to The Guardian Australia.
“We don’t know at this point what it is and that makes it even more concerning,” he said.
“There’s something obviously leaking or falling…floating around and being thrown around.”
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Northern Beaches Council said the NSW Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) alerted them to the recent debris.
The agency and the city planned to compile the findings for testing and also inspect other beaches in the area.
Anyone who saw the balls was urged to contact authorities, the council added.
Although widely reported to be “tar balls,” the debris was discovered in October to contain everything from cooking oil and soap scum molecules to blood pressure medications, pesticides, hair, methamphetamine and veterinary medications.
The scientists said they resembled grease, oil and grease stains, often called fatbergs, that commonly form in sewage systems.
However, Sydney Water reported there were no known problems with waste systems in the city and authorities still do not know the source of the material, leading some to raise concerns about the safety of the city’s beaches.
“The EPA cannot explain the source of the human waste causing fatbergs and cannot assure the public that Sydney’s beaches are safe,” state politician Sue Higginson of the Green party said in a statement in December.
