Southern California Beaches Shut Down After Sewage Spill
Following the collapse of a section of the sewage system run by Los Angeles County, Southern California beaches were closed down over the holiday weekend as around 7 million gallons of wastewater that were untreated spilled into the ocean, Friday night.
According to Los Angeles Sanitation Districts, the spill happened because the sewage system was overwhelmed by the heavy rainfall brought by a series of storms in December. This resulted in the collapse of the sewage system sending untreated water and debris into the ocean, NBC News reported.
The collapse was first reported in the City of Carson on Friday night. An emergency contractor immediately set up pumps to resolve the problem. However, sewage water continued to make its way into the sea the following day.
On New Year's Day, additional bypass systems were installed and helped end the spill overnight, according to LA Sanitation Districts officials.
Coastal closures were imposed as stated by officials from the affected counties, including areas from Huntington beach to the south to Rancho Palos Verdes to the north.
Events and Recreational Swimming Cancelled
About 7-miles of bayfront areas and beaches in Long Beach were closed down, according to health officials. They also stated that before reopening the coastline, they would need to test the bacteria levels in the water and make sure that they are not hazardous.
Back in October, some of the beaches were also closed down after an oil spill caused by a breach of the pipeline in Huntington Beach released more than 25,000 gallons of crude oil into the ocean.
Events that were supposed to take place on New Year's Day were also canceled, including the 70th Annual Polar Bear Swim at Cabrillo Beach in Los Angeles.
Probe on Faulty Infrastructure to Be Conducted
Janice Hahn, supervisor of the LA County has called for a probe to be conducted by the Sanitation District to determine if the faulty and aging infrastructure was to be blamed for the spill.
During the holidays, the shoreline was free from tourists due to the frigid water temperatures, but officials have become concerned about the frequency of storm-related spills.
Hahn stated that while storms have undoubtedly contributed to the spill, it is still a priority to make sure that infrastructures do not easily fail due to rain.
"A sewage spill of this magnitude is dangerous and unacceptable, and we need to understand what happened," she stated.
In October, persistent foul odor started coming from the Dominguez Channel spill that also covered the area following a major storm.
Beaches in Cabrillo, Point Fermin, Royal Palm, White Point Park, and Rancho Palos Verdes were also shut down by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Jess Smith
WATCH: Several L.A. County beaches closed after sewage spill of up to 7 million gallons I ABC7
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