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A sewage spill that occurred Friday afternoon near Colorado Lagoon resulted in the closure of all swimming areas in Alamitos Bay, including Marine Stadium, Mother’s Beach, Colorado Lagoon and Bay Shore, the City of Long Beach announced Friday.
The sewage overflowed out of manholes near Colorado Lagoon, while the exact cause is still under investigation, said Nelson Kerr today, director of environmental health for the City of Long Beach.
Approximately 27,000 gallons were estimated to have spilled, and was stopped at about 2:45PM, according to the city release.
Until lab results from the Long Beach Health Department confirm the water is safe for swimming, the aforementioned swimming areas will remain closed, according to Long Beach Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis.
The spill near Colorado Lagoon was followed by at least seven sewage spills from the Los Angeles County sewage system that were reported Sunday evening and this morning, officials said in a press release sent out this afternoon. Six of the seven spills reported occurred outside of Long Beach, according to a revised press release from the city.
The spills have stopped due to the rain ceasing, however all beaches will be closed until results indicate they are safe for swimming.
The total volume of the spills is unknown and occurred due to “a substantial amount of rain” that fell Sunday and today, according to the release.
A rain advisory for all recreational beaches and bays in the City of Long Beach is currently in effect, the first release noted, following the rainfall of the past 24 hours. Recreational swimming areas should be avoided for three days following the end of a storm.
Last year in April, a spill occurred at the Colorado Lagoon, dumping about 700 gallons of waste discharge.
The lagoon and Mother’s Beach were re-opened two days later, with the cause noted as a “tree root intrusion into the sewer line.”
For updated information on recreational beach water quality, call the Water Hotline at (562) 570-4199 or visit the site here.
Editor’s note: The headline was changed from All Beaches, Swimming Areas Closed Due to Multiple Long Beach Area Sewage Spills to All Beaches, Swimming Areas Closed Due to Multiple Sewage Spills, per the city’s revised release stating that the sewage spills came from the Los Angeles County sewage system, and six of the seven reported occurred outside of Long Beach.