Oceanside

About 10,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into the ocean near Buccaneer Beach Monday afternoon after heavy rains flooded a nearby pump station and caused the facility to malfunction, county health officials said.

The spill began at 4 p.m., when the saturated pump station forced sewage out a manhole at Mesa Drive and Garrison Street. From there, the sewage ran into Loma Alta Creek and into the ocean at Buccaneer Beach.

As the rains decreased through the afternoon, the pump station returned to normal operations by 8 p.m. No repairs were necessary.

A distance of 100 yards on each side of where the sewage ran into the ocean has been posted to alert residents of the contamination. The signs will stay up until testing shows that the water is safe for swimming and other contact.