Rains Close Highway 33, Cause Sewer Pipe Break

Rain on Friday and Saturday forced authorities to close California 33 for nearly a day and was partly to blame for the rupture of a sewage line that was pumping about 1,200 gallons of raw sewage a minute into the Santa Clara River, authorities said.

The California Highway Patrol closed California 33 from the Wheeler Gorge guard station north to the Ozena station, said CHP dispatcher Michele Holt. The highway was closed at 6:10 p.m. Friday and reopened at 2:10 p.m. Saturday, Holt said.

In Santa Clarita, officials said a pipe broke when rain-soaked earth gave way near a bridge spanning the Santa Clara River, which flows into Ventura County.

The spill posed no danger to Santa Clarita residents, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Benita Hinojos. The area is mostly commercial, and the nearest residences are about two miles away, she said. Ventura County environmental officials could not be reached for comment Saturday.

Officials, who said it would take up to two days to repair the pipe, said they hoped the spill would not weaken the concrete around a nearby gas pipe and cause it to rupture. Crews from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the county Public Works Department and road maintenance division and the county Health Department worked all day Saturday to contain the spill and cap the pipe, Hinojos said.

Another storm is expected to move into the area early this afternoon and stay through tonight or early Monday, said Steve Burback, a meteorologist for WeatherData, which does forecasts for The Times. “It’s a lot weaker than past storms,” Burback said. “Rain will be under an inch, generally.”

A second stronger storm is due to hit the county late Tuesday night and drop one to two inches of rain, Burback said. It is expected to stay through Thursday afternoon.

Both storms formed in the area of the Aleutian Island chain and moved southeast toward Southern California, Burback said.

Times staff writer Greg Braxton contributed to this story.