27,000 Gallons of Sewage Spill Contaminates Long Beach Shoreline
A ruptured pipe on Friday evening has led to the closure of coastal waters in Long Beach due to a massive sewage overflow.
Long Beach experienced a significant sewage spill over Halloween weekend, forcing health officials to close coastal waters throughout the city. The incident occurred Friday evening when approximately 27,000 gallons of sewage were released from a ruptured force main pipe near Belmont Shore.
The local health department stated that the spill was associated with a pressurized pipe used to convey wastewater, but the cause of the break remains unclear. Emergency repairs are underway, with local utility workers rerouting sewage to bypass the damaged line and a contractor brought in to manage the cleanup.
According to state law, all coastal waters must be closed when sewage reaches the ocean until water quality tests confirm it meets safety standards. It is suspected that some of the spilled sewage made its way into the ocean, necessitating the closures.
The spill occurs as Long Beach residents have been contending with high tides, exacerbated by a strong El Niño. Heavy equipment has been observed near the shoreline this week as crews work to protect homes from tidal flooding. Coastal flood advisories have been issued for Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties.
This is not the first pollution-related issue for Long Beach this year. In May, a separate incident involved 2,400 gallons of crude oil spilling from a ruptured pipeline in Los Angeles. That oil flowed into the Los Angeles River, and containment booms were deployed in Long Beach to prevent it from reaching the ocean. The city has also faced recurring pollution from waste flowing downstream through the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers from other communities.