PRESS STATEMENT ON SEEPAGE OF CONTAMINANTS
FROM COOKS LANDFILL
The National Office of Disaster Services (NODS), along with several critical agencies, has developed a corrective action plan to manage a seepage of contaminants from the Cooks Sanitary Landfill leading to Hermitage Bay in keeping with the National Marine Pollution Manual.
According to information from the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF) Coast Guard, a report was received at 8:38am on Thursday 12th February 2026 from the Pilot Station at the Antigua Port Authority in St. John’s.
As a result, personnel from the ABDF and West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) were deployed to carry out an initial assessment.
Other critical agencies conducted surveillance of the area including NODS, the Central Board of Health and the National Solid Waste Management Authority.
A meeting of the Marine Pollution Committee was convened this morning (Friday). The findings reveal that the area leading to the sea from the Cooks Landfill had a flow of contaminants heading into Hermitage Bay.
NODS has since partially activated the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).
A number of remedial actions, including containment of the contaminants and water quality testing will take place. Several pieces of equipment have also been mobilized to support the efforts.
Fishermen and other members of the public are advised that activities in the bay – from Seaforth Beach to Pinching Bay, have been restricted. This means that no fishing or any recreation should take place in the area.
Members of the public will be kept updated on the situation. – the end –
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Typical for Antigua
Everything is just thrown away. There is no cate to anything environmental here unless you can get the foreigners to pay for it.. but best believe this whole island is poisoned
The ground beneath everyone’s feet has been absorbing all these toxins, chemicals and poisons for over a hundred years. And Antiguans are not known for intelligent decisions or being proactive. But here’s why you have so many cancers, immuno- deficiency disorders and many other diseases and disorders. We really do need to have foreign oversight on all activities here. Because it is clear we are unable to keep satisfactory standards in anything we do. Just a shame we settle for lowest bar possible. Hence things like this will continue to happen. So.best start using another beach because this one is done for now..it might clear up but if we don’t know the chemicals involved we will never know when it is safe to use again. The government can say what they want. But we all know what liars they are. They will never be able to convince the public that it is safe
Hermitage bay should slap a huge lawsuit on the government for allowing this to happen and not having a contingency plan. Di what Gaston loves to do. Hail his ass into the courts and have him explain why this happened, why it was allowed to happen and what his goveremt will do to retufynthe situation and make sure it never happens again.
Did New Division Beach get any of that oil on its white sandy shore.Are they using Cooks Dump to dump unused oils? If so,who authorized that to be done.What you in the darkness of nights.Usually comes out in the lights of day.That mangrove swamp goes from Cooks to Seafort Beach and an area known as Tom Bend and then empties into Five Islands Harbor.
Once again, it appears that ongoing poor practices and poor management at Cooks Landfill have caused serious environmental issues. Their Standard Operating Procedures must be reviewed again by a third-party and action take against those responsible.
Just last summer, NODS and others collaborated on an updated oil spill contingency plan and training yet no floating barriers or dams were placed in the water yesterday to stop the oil from spreading further. I wonder if they managed to do that today or even if they have floating barriers or dams. The lack of a prompt response is very disappointing.
Unbelievable!! I said something will happen like this and it has. Why are you guys not looking at PREVENTION rather than constant reacting.. there is a easy solution, start tacking the problem of cookes LF
The Antiguan government smart you hear! Them all know a Hadeed power station that produce that magnitude a waste oil, but them go tip toe around Hadeed and put up this facade that they have committee in place to look into the oil spill, and mark my word the little man with his truck is going to get punish.
They just creating a narrative to protect the power station owners.
It is funny that this is coming up now! Local Oils a company which collects oil for free, receives no help from the government who claims to care about the environment. Many promises are made by the government to support this company but none are kept. This company refines this waste oil and uses all the by products. It is a shame that we are farming oil into the ground when this oil can be collected by this company with a little help from the Government. I beg all concerned people to go and see the operation. The manager is Fletcher. He can show you.The writer is correct HADEED power plants produce the most waste oil and they are right opposite Local oils, but it is easier to give it to local truck drivers to dump at cooks! Mr. Prime Minister save our country for our children, your children.
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