Sewage Spill Keeping Aliso Beach Closed Again : Environment: It is believed rain-swollen floodwaters damaged a pipeline. That makes three closures this year.

A half-mile stretch of popular Aliso Beach will remain closed until next week as up to 100,000 gallons of treated sewage a day continue to spew into the ocean from a pipeline rupture only 90 feet from the shoreline, authorities said Friday.

County officials said they will not reopen the beach until officials with the South Coast Water District repair the ruptured pipeline, which normally discharges the sewage a mile and a half offshore.

Robert E. Merryman, director of the county Health Care Agency’s Environmental Health division, ordered lifeguards to place “water contaminated” signs from Camel Point in South Laguna to the Treasure Island trailer park, north of Aliso Pier.

Merryman said he was awaiting results on tests of water samples taken from the contaminated area.

“The closing of the beach is only a precaution so that we can adequately protect the public,” Merryman said. “We will not reopen it unless we are sure that the public is not at risk.”

Linda Jones, assistant general manager of the water district, said engineers believe the pipeline was damaged two weeks ago by the floods that roared down Aliso Creek. She said a crew only discovered the leak within the last week after brown, murky discoloration of the surf was detected near the pier.

About 18 million gallons of treated sewage flow through the pipeline daily.

The district pumped green dye into the pipeline to locate the rupture and to determine exactly how much waste was escaping into the water, Jones said. On Friday, divers attempted to assess the damage, but they were hindered by poor visibility caused by the pounding surf, Jones said.

Jones said the district hired a crew to assess the damage using a video camera inserted into the pipeline.

She could not say when the pipeline will be repaired, noting that winter storms predicted for this weekend could delay the process.

Dozens of people who came to Aliso Beach Park on Friday left shortly after seeing the “water contaminated” signs.

A few sunbathed on the beach, but expressed disgust at the contamination.

“It’s a shame that you can’t just pick up and go to a safe beach anymore,” said Lynn Ito of San Juan Capistrano, who had to persuade her two young children that it was safer if they played in the sand.

Instead of swimming, Marilyn Glavinovich of Laguna Beach spent her time preparing her taxes on the sand. “This is yucky and rotten,” she said, pointing to the brown surf line. “It’s hard to enjoy the environment anymore.”

Despite the warning signs, a handful of people swam in the water just north of the pier. But Merryman said these bathers faced the risk of contracting hepatitis and eye and ear infections, among other diseases.

The latest closure marked the third time that Aliso Beach has been closed this year. Two smaller spills of raw sewage had forced closure of the beach last month, Merryman said.

City officials said they would ask the water district to take steps to curtail pollution in the county-operated beach.

“Because Aliso Creek is lower, it is a collector and the sewage always ends up there,” said Laguna Beach Councilwoman Lida Lenney. “It’s very disturbing when people can’t swim without concern for the quality of the water.”

Lenney said she plans to raise the matter at the City Council meeting next week.