4:35pm | All beaches in the city are closed after storms caused a sewage system near Studio City to overflow into the Los Angeles River Sunday night.
The Los Angeles County Bureau of Sanitation estimates that about 250,000 galloons of raw sewage spilled into the Los Angeles River about 39 miles upstream of Long Beach after recent rains overwhelmed the sewage system. The release was reported at 8 p.m. and continued until about 11:45 p.m. Sunday, according to information provided by Long Beach City Hall.
As mandated by state law, City Health Officer Dr. Helene Calvet earlier this afternoon closed all open coastal beaches in Long Beach potentially impacted by the spill in order to protect the public from coming into contact with contaminated water.
Warning signs have been posted to inform the public of the closures, city officials said.
The beaches will be closed until water test results show that contamination levels are within state standards, and the Department of Health and Human Services Water Quality Program is monitoring the water quality daily until the beaches are safe to reopen, city officials said.
Calvet has also issued a general rain advisory for all swimming areas, including beaches and bays, due to the high levels of bacteria washed into these bodies of water from storm drains, rivers and polluted runoff after any significant rainfall, city officials said.
Additional information about water quality in Long Beach can be obtained by calling the Department of Health and Human Services Water Quality Information Line at 562-570-4199 or by visiting its website at LongBeach.gov/health.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that between 1.8 million and 3.5 million people nationwide fall ill from coming into contact with water contaminated by sanitary overflows each year.
According to a fact sheet on the health effects of sewage-contaminated water compiled by American Rivers, a conservation organization established in 1973 to protect the nation’s rivers and keep its water supplies clean, untreated sewage contains an array of pathogens including bacteria, parasites and viruses, as well as chemicals and nutrients, that are dangerous to human health. The acute illnesses that these contaminants can cause, often referred to as recreational water illnesses, or RWIs, can be violent and unpleasant, but typically pass after several days. In some cases, however, they can be deadly.
Common illnesses and symptoms that result soon after coming into contact with sewage-contaminated water include diarrhea; vomiting; gastroenteritis, more commonly known as the stomach flu; upper respiratory disease, such as sinus infection or sore throat; encephalitis; aseptic meningitis; amoebic dysentery; and various eye, skin, tissue and liver infections. The long term results of coming into contact with the pathogens that cause these illnesses can include arthritis, dementia, ulcers, seizures, liver and kidney problems and colon cancer.
Water contamination at local beaches occurs often, and it is not always accompanied by a health or safety advisory. A 2006 study conducted by a civil and environmental engineering professor from Stanford University and collaborators from UCLA found that each year between 62,700 to 1.5 million people get gastroenteritis at beaches in Los Angeles and Orange counties.