Workers Pump Paint Out of Flood Channel

A white milky substance that flowed into a flood control channel in Irvine and kept workers busy throughout Sunday night as they pumped out 400,000 gallons of water was analyzed Monday as soluble latex paint, a county official said.

The clean-up crew pumped out 400,000 gallons instead of an original estimate of 20,000 gallons as a preventative measure before the lab results were known, said Nira Yamachika, a county environmental resource specialist. Wildlife and vegetation was not affected by the spill, Yamachika said.