The State - News from June 25, 1989

Aliso Beach, which typically boasts some of the best weather and surf conditions along the Orange County coast, remained closed to sun worshipers and swimmers alike because of a 900,000-gallon raw sewage spill. Lifeguards, busy putting up warning signs about the contamination instead of conducting their usual watch for wayward swimmers, said partly cloudy conditions allowed for a “bright” beach that would have attracted at least 2,000--a substantial crowd for the mile stretch of beach with limited parking. Swimmers missed out on a mild surf of 3 to 4 feet and 65-degree air temperatures, said John O’Sullivan, an Aliso Beach lifeguard. The beach was closed after an aged pipeline ruptured, spilling sewage into Aliso Creek, which drains into the ocean in the city of Laguna Beach.