San Diego
A broken sewer line dumped 600 gallons of raw sewage into Sail Bay Monday night, and county health officials have closed the western side of the bay to swimming and water sports.
An old cast-iron sewer main at Redondo Court and Bayside Walk in the northwestern section of Mission Bay broke when city crews tried to clear the line. Sewage flowed into the bay for two hours, contaminating an area of about a mile from Santa Clara Point north to Zanzibar Court, according to health officials.
Because of slow tidal action in that section of Mission Bay, the quarantine time is indefinite. “It’s up to nature to dilute it and take care of it by natural action,” said Donald Ramras, a county health officer. Ramras said the area may be closed through the weekend.
Joe Ranson, a city sewer supervisor, said the spill is not related to a spill in April in which about 1 million gallons of raw sewage flowed into Sail Bay. That spill, also caused by a ruptured line, forced the moving of the San Diego Crew Classic to eastern Mission Bay. Ranson said the old Redondo Court line was probably cracked.
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