The Long Beach Water Department is reporting that four popular swimming locations in the city have been closed due to a 12,000-gallon raw sewage spill caused by a massive grease blockage from a local residential community.
Grease blockages can cause great harm to the environment and are difficult for workers to control. It is illegal to put grease (butter, meats, and other foods heavy in fat or oil) into sinks because they clog drains and pipes, essentially creating a sewer heart attack. In this particular case, the sewage overflowed out of sewers and onto the street, entering stormdrains and eventually open water.
The Long Beach Water Department spends an extra $500,000 per year in cleaning and maintenance of pipes and drains to prevent overflows and spills such as this. Residents should be aware of what they put in their sinks and the effect it can have on the sewers.
Mother’s Beach, Marine Stadium, Colorado Lagoon and Alamitos Bay are closed until further notice. Below are images of grease blockages (white area) that have clogged 8-inch sewer pipes.
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor
Disclosure: The Long Beach Water Department is an advertiser of the lbpost.com