Officials: Tar balls at SPI pose no risk to environment or tourism

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The tar balls that have been appearing on the beaches of South Padre Island are nothing more than an inconvenience, according to the Texas General Land Office.

If you come in contact with the tar, it might stain your skin and clothes but there are several ways to clean the sticky substance including warm water and dish soap, nail polish remover or WD-40.

Dawn Buckingham, commissioner for the Texas General Land Office, said the tar is natural for the Gulf Coast area and is continually monitored and tested for safety.

"It's been here forever and probably not going anywhere, but it is something we monitor and make sure that there's not another source that's not accounted for," Buckingham said.

As the summer season comes around, the Texas General Land Office increases patrols on the beach to try and clean the tar as much as possible.

"In general we try and do our best through our beach patrol to get it cleaned up, but it's always going to be there a little bit during this time of year," Buckingham said. "What we're seeing today has been going on for thousands of years and is well known throughout history.

TJ Reyna, a charter boat captain who operates out of South Padre Island, said he sees the tar balls show up every year and he doesn't think beachgoers should be worried about it.

"The ecosystem is not affected at all, people are not affected by it —maybe a couple of stained clothes here and there, maybe a couple stained feet but other than that it's totally manageable," Reyna said.