Laguna Beach : Beach Reopened 6 Days After Sewage Overflow
About a 2,000-foot stretch of sand and ocean water, closed to swimmers and sunbathers since a sewage spill last Friday, was reopened Wednesday afternoon after the county Health Department said that all contamination had cleared away.
Warning signs at Cleo, Saint Ann’s, Sleepy Hollow and Thalia streets were ordered removed, according to Terry Brandt, the city’s director of municipal services.
Officials said the spill occurred Friday afternoon when a power pole on Cleo Street near Coast Highway burned down, making it necessary for power to be turned off while repairs were made.
This, Laguna Beach police said, shut down a pumping station nearby, resulting in a sewage overflow that ran down to the beach and into the ocean.
A Southern California Edison Co. spokesman said there were indications that a vehicle had struck the pole and caused two wires to arc, setting the pole on fire and burning it in two.
Word that the beaches could be reopened came from Bob Merryman, the county’s director of environmental health.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
