Local News in Brief : Sewage Leak Shuts Beach

Officials have closed the beach in Avalon Harbor after raw sewage leaked from an overloaded pumping station on Santa Catalina Island.

The leak started Saturday when a pumping station near the Casino Ballroom north of Avalon reached capacity. Sewage backed up into a pipe, which cracked under the strain, spilling sewage into the harbor and contaminating the water just off Avalon, said Lt. Paul McIlroy of the county’s Department of Beaches and Harbors.

An estimated 3,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the bay before the leak was discovered, City Manager John Longley said. A second, unrelated leak from another pipe spilled an additional 100 gallons of sewage into the bay Monday morning, he said.

City officials notified the regional Water Quality Control Board of both leaks before closing the beach and chlorinating the water, Longley said. No other beaches on the island were affected, he said.

Officials expect to know today whether the beach can reopen in time for the July 4 holiday tourist crunch, Longley said. Jack Petralia, a county health official, said preliminary results of tests taken Tuesday showed continuing sewage contamination.