Beachgoers asked to avoid water after high bacteria levels found near site of 17M gallon sewage spill

Beachgoers are once again being asked to avoid the water near the site of a 17-million-gallon sewage spill that ultimately closed beaches from El Segundo to the southern end of Playa del Rey.

On Tuesday, July 27, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health conducted another water sampling near the site of the sewage spill in the Santa Monica Bay and determined that several beach areas near the Hyperion plant exceeded state standards for bacteria in water. 

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Affected beach areas include:

  • El Segundo BeachGrand Avenue storm drain (Near Dockweiler Tower 60)
  • Grand Avenue storm drain (Near Dockweiler Tower 60)
  • Dockweiler State Beach Ballona Creek (Near Dockweiler Tower 40) Culver Blvd storm drain Hyperion Plant outfall Imperial Highway storm drain (Dockweiler Tower 56) Westchester storm drain World Way extension
  • Ballona Creek (Near Dockweiler Tower 40)
  • Culver Blvd storm drain
  • Hyperion Plant outfall
  • Imperial Highway storm drain (Dockweiler Tower 56)
  • Westchester storm drain
  • World Way extension

Other beaches under advisory include:

  • Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica
  • Montana Ave. storm drain at Santa Monica Beach (Santa Monica North Tower 8)
  • Wilshire Bl. storm drain at Santa Monica Beach (Santa Monica North Tower 12)
  • Temescal Canyon storm drain at Will Rogers State Beach
  • Avalon Beach at Catalina Island (50 feet east of the pier)

Authorities are asking beachgoers to be careful of swimming, surfing, and playing in ocean waters around discharging storm drains, creeks, and rivers.

Health officials said that no sewage is currently being discharged from the Hyperion plant into the ocean and ocean waters, adding that bacterial levels often fluctuate from day to day and can be impacted by recent rain events.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

Roughly 17 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the ocean on July 11, forcing health officials to close several beaches in the area for multiple days. It took health officials more than 24 hours to notify the public of the sewage spill, which County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer called, "multiple failure on top of multiple failure."

A report detailing the sewage spill blamed the county health department for failing to notify the public more quickly.

"There's no excuse for this," Ferrer told the Board of Supervisors and the public Tuesday.

The beaches ultimately reopened on July 14 after the health department reported that bacteria levels in the water were back to normal.

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