Pipe Spews Sewage, Closing Bay to Swimmers, Water Sports

Health officials ordered Newport Bay closed Friday to swimming and some water sports after a broken sewer pipe spewed 450,000 gallons of raw sewage into San Diego Creek, which feeds directly into Back Bay.

The sewage spill came one day after county health officials said they are considering canceling a program monitoring water quality in Newport Bay and other recreational waterways countywide, because of fund shortages caused by the collapse of the Orange County investment pool.

Irvine Ranch Water District officials said the 200-foot break in an 18-inch sewer pipe was discovered at 9:30 a.m. by farmer John Magarro, who was clearing storm-borne debris from San Diego Creek.

The broken line was about 1,200 feet south of the intersection of Muirlands Boulevard and Alton Parkway, at the Serrano Wash in the Irvine Spectrum.

The 450,000 gallons of sewage is a low estimate, Newport Beach Marine Safety Lt. Eric Bauer said, noting that the line may have been leaking since Tuesday.

Water district spokeswoman Joyce Wegner-Gwidt said recent storms flooded the Serrano Wash, eroding the sides of the stream bed where the sewer pipes are buried and exposing the pipe.

“Originally that pipe was about 15 feet underground. A 200-foot section of it washed away. We’re not talking about plastic pipe, here. It was clay sewer pipe.”

As to why the pipe broke, she said, “We have no idea. It had to be from storm flow. It’s in a creek that was heavily affected with storm flow.”

Construction crews worked through the day to install a temporary bypass to the pipe, which had gushed an estimated 100 to 500 gallons a minute of raw sewage. Water district officials planned to wait until the storm pattern ends before making repairs on the damaged line.

Monica Mazur, an environmental health spokeswoman for the county, said immediate danger to fish is minimal, but some shellfish may absorb contaminants. The office ordered the bay and harbor closed to swimming as a precaution, because contact with the sewage-tainted water could cause infections in humans, she said.

“We’re mainly concerned about those who do underwater (boat) hull maintenance, kayakers” and canoeists, Mazur said.

Workers were posting signs Friday afternoon, but Mazur said, “We’re not going to post everything. We can’t. Newport Bay is too big.”

The harbor was not expected to get a clean bill of health until at least Tuesday, she said.

After recent rainstorms, sewage spills had closed two beaches in Laguna Beach and one each in Newport Beach, Huntington State Park, Seal Beach and Dana Point. All had since reopened.