Southern California Forced to Shut Down Beaches After 8M Gallons of Sewage Spilled Into the Ocean

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has since announced the bacteria levels are dangerously high and that swimming, surfing, or even wading in the water is strongly discouraged. 

The Dominguez Channel is a prominent local drainage system in LA Country, and at 15.7 miles long, it starts in Hawthorne, leads into the Los Angeles River, and empties into the Port of Los Angeles.

However, it’s important to note that the spillage was not due to a human or mechanical error but because of several storms in the area over the past month. Essentially, the unprecedented rainfall made the system overflow and contaminate the surrounding waters. 

The County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health announced that there was a 20,000-gallon spill in Long Beach, a 10,000-gallon spill in Rolling Hills, 43,000 gallons in Commerce, and another 38,000 gallons in Long Beach. As well as several more in Whittier, Long Beach, and Orange County.

Long Beach, San Pedro, Cabrillo Beach, and several stretches of coast in Orange County are all closed to swimmers and surfers until local authorities say otherwise.

Local officials said in a recent statement, “Out of an abundance of caution, the affected ocean water area will remain closed to swimming, surfing, and diving until the results of follow-up water quality monitoring meet acceptable standards.”

However, realistically, officials cannot do anything to clean up the sewage spills. All they can do is wait until the pollution dissipates, and they can safely say the water no longer poses a health threat.

And with new spills still occurring, the beaches may be closed for some time until the rain lets up and the channels return to normal water level. 

A spokesperson for the Department of Health told the LA Times in an email that: “Swimming in water contaminated by pathogenic bacteria can cause illness and skin infections” and should be avoided at all costs. 

As the spokesperson explained, “While swimming-related illnesses are unpleasant, they are usually not very serious and require little or no treatment.” However, anyone who was in the water should be on the lookout for any symptoms and visit their physician should any arise.

In southern California, January is typically the rainiest month. On average, the region only sees about 3.1 inches throughout the month. However, during the last week of the month, LA experienced a whopping 9.03 inches of rainfall, which is more than half of what it typically receives for the whole year.

The state’s health department has said that they will continue to test the water in the affected areas and will inform residents and visitors when the bacteria levels have returned to normal. But until then, no one should be touching the water.