Local News in Brief : Waste Closes Beach Through Weekend

A stretch of shoreline closed after bacteria-infested sewage leaked into a storm drain and contaminated ocean waters will remain off limits to swimmers through the weekend, a county health official said Friday.

The nearly one-mile section of Santa Monica Beach from the pier to Pico Boulevard was closed Thursday as a precaution when officials found high levels of coliform bacteria in the drain. Officials determined Friday that the drain has become clogged with sand and is no longer spilling the bacteria but decided to keep the beach closed in case the drain becomes unclogged and begins leaking tainted water into the ocean again, said Jack Petralia, director of the Health Department’s bureau of environmental protection.

“It shouldn’t keep anyone from going to the beach anywhere else,” he said.