Encinitas

Two men hospitalized for critical illnesses contracted after surfing at sewage-contaminated Cardiff State Beach in Encinitas have filed lawsuits against three government agencies, charging them with negligence.

Terry Wagner and Franklin Eller allege in the lawsuits that the City of Escondido, San Diego County health officials and state water authorities failed to sufficiently monitor the effluent piped offshore.

Both surfers claimed they became ill after surfing in sea water that was later tested by the county and found to contain five times more bacteria than is considered safe.

Eller has suffered paralysis in one arm, apparently a rare side effect of a viral infection. Wagner suffered nerve and tissue damage after a cut became infected.

In April, the pair filed claims against the agencies, Eller for $10 million and Wagner for $1 million, but they were rejected. Neither man has specified the dollar amount they seek in their lawsuits.

The government agencies have rebutted the claims of the surfers, saying the sewage pumped from Escondido to more than a mile off Cardiff is sufficiently treated and would not cause illnesses.

Instead, they blame runoff from storm drains, which contains large amounts of animal waste, for causing problems at Cardiff State Beach, which has been closed periodically during the past year because of pollution.