Raw Sewage Spills Into Street, Riverbed

An estimated 100,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into the streets of a Santa Clarita Valley neighborhood and flowed into a nearby dry riverbed after construction materials clogged a major sewer line Sunday night, authorities said.

The sewage backup occurred in the area of Santa Clara Street and Honby Avenue about 8 p.m. when a 21-inch underground pipe became clogged by chunks of concrete and rock. The untreated sewage flowed into the intersection of the streets and drained into a ditch before settling in the Santa Clara River.

It took crews more than four hours to get the line flowing again, and the cleanup took until Monday afternoon. After the cleanup, authorities said there appeared to be no environmental or health hazard.

Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts officials said the concrete and rock had apparently been illegally dumped into a sewer drain by vandals or negligent contractors.