Swimming Ban at Laguna Beach Is Extended
A ban on swimming in a section of Laguna Beach’s Main Beach has been extended to Friday as contamination slowly drifted north of the site of a 30,000-gallon sewage spill, officials said Wednesday.
New boundaries were set for a 600-yard section of beach that has been closed since Sunday’s spill, according to Mike Wehner of the Orange County Health Care Agency.
Wehner said that because tests revealed contamination has moved northward from the original spill site, the beach between Cleo Street and Laguna Avenue will be closed through today and possibly Friday.
On Sunday, a power failure caused more than 30,000 gallons of raw sewage to overflow from the pump station at Sleepy Hollow Lane to the beach.
Wehner said the contamination in the water will slowly dissipate.
“Seawater has a natural tendency to clear itself up because it’s a hostile environment for the microorganisms found in sewage,” he said.
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