Encinitas
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About 23,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled from a broken pipe into the San Elijo Lagoon in Encinitas on Tuesday, county health officials reported.
The spill was discovered at 8:30 a.m. west of Interstate 5 near the Manchester Avenue entrance ramp and was stopped half an hour later, according to Department of Health Services spokesman Lyn Wallis.
The cause of the break was unknown, Wallis said.
The lagoon is not used as a recreational or drinking water supply and a sand barrier usually separates it from Cardiff State Beach.
Wallis said some of the sewage might enter the ocean at high tide.
Lifeguards at the beach are monitoring the stretch of beach for signs of contamination, Wallis said.
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