Local News in Brief : Newport Beach : Sewage Spill Called Threat to Swimmers

Between 3,000 and 4,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into a backwater channel in Newport Beach on Wednesday, creating what a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sanitation Districts called “a potential health threat” to swimmers in the area.

Corinne Clawson, public affairs officer for the districts, said the spill occurred at 12:30 p.m. when a trunk line broke at the Bitter Point pumping station, 61st Street and Newport Shores Drive. Pressure through the line had been increased because an alternate line had been closed to allow for repair work.

“The problem is it went into a backwater channel, and there was a drain that we didn’t know about,” Clawson said.

She said the sewage would eventually be washed out to sea, perhaps after traveling through the Santa Ana River.

Clawson, who called the spill “pretty minor,” said there was no environmental impact from the accident, although anyone swimming in the channel could be affected.

“It’s not anywhere near Newport Bay,” she said of the area. “It’s kind of like a marshland.”

Clawson said the county Health Department and the regional water control board have been notified. She said the spill, which was capped an hour and a half after it started, was not serious enough to warrant action such as dredging the channel.