Nearly three weeks after oil coated and killed several birds on the Oregon and southern Washington coasts, officials say they still don’t know where the sticky petroleum product came from.
But they say they’ve done their best to clean up the beaches that were affected by the mysterious balls of tar and they’ve ended an effort that brought together multiple Oregon, Washington and federal agencies to investigate.
The tar balls stretched from the mouth of Alsea Bay in Waldport to Long Beach, Wash. They were first reported May 19, when several tar balls were spotted around the mouth of the Columbia River.
At least 10 birds had been found covered in oil by May 21, and three of them later died. All the affected birds found were common murres.
Since then, more than 100 people from a dozen federal and state agencies were involved in the response, collecting nearly a ton of oily debris and cleaning 36 miles of beach.
As the tar is mostly cleaned up, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality asks if anyone does find oiled birds or other wildlife, they should avoid contact with the animals and call 1-800-222-4737. The agency also advises people not to touch any tar balls when they see them on the beach, and to report them to the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.
— Oregon Public Broadcasting
