A spill of millions of gallons of untreated sewage in California has led to the closure of some beaches, including many in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
All beaches in the city of Long Beach were shut down Friday on the orders of its health officer, Dr. Anissa Davis.
The city said approximately 2 to 4 million gallons of sewage were discharged into the Dominguez Channel a day prior. The incident was pinned on the failure of a 48-inch sewer mainline in the city of Carson.
Other closures included beaches in and around Los Angeles; the channel terminates at the Los Angeles harbor.
“Public health officials are advising residents to avoid contact with ocean water in the affected areas,” the Los Angeles County Public Health office said in a statement.
The closed beaches were listed as Rancho Palos Verdes Beach at Portuguese Bend, Royal Palm Beach, White Point Beach, Wilder Addition Park Beach at Point Fermin, and Cabrillo Beach.
The closures were going to remain in effect until water samples were confirmed to have bacteria levels below thresholds laid out by the state. Local news reports indicated some were expected to reopen over the weekend.
Janice Hahn, a Los Angeles County supervisor, said Friday that the spill had grown to an estimated 6 to 7 million gallons.
“A spill of this magnitude is dangerous and unacceptable, and we need to understand what happened. The recent storm undoubtedly contributed, but we need infrastructure that doesn’t fail when it rains,” Hahn said in a statement.
