Global Courant
Long Beach officials temporarily closed the city’s coastal swimming areas after about 50,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the Alhambra Wash.
Long Beach City Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis issued Tuesday the closure, which will affect beaches along 5th and 10th, Granada and Prospect Avenues, and the west end of Belmont Pier among other locationscity officials said.
Long Beach has about seven miles of public beach.
The leak was caused by a blockage that caused a sewer line to overflow, according to one report to the city from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
The Alhambra Wash leads to the Rio Hondo Channel and empties into the Los Angeles River. The river empties into the Pacific Ocean at Long Beach, carrying all the pollution into coastal waters, officials said.
The Long Beach Health Department will continue to monitor water quality at affected sites until bacteria levels reach state standards, officials said.
People can call (562) 570-4199 or visit the city water quality monitoring site to know the status of the beach water quality.
