Stretch of Newport Beach Cordoned Off for Cleanup
A half-mile stretch of beach was closed Saturday to clean up a bacteria-ridden substance that came in with the tide.
Newport Beach Fire Marshal Dennis Lockard said a resident late Friday reported seeing the white greasy chunks, which ranged in size from grains of rice to quarters. The county Health Care Agency tested the substance overnight and found that it had a high bacterial count, he said.
“We don’t know what it is,” Lockard said. “It may be an animal fat. It may be an oil-based cooking fat. It’s just sticky.”
The beach on the peninsula from 32nd to 48th streets was closed at 9 a.m. Saturday while heavy equipment scooped up the contaminated sand and hauled it to a waste disposal site, he said. The beach was expected to reopen this morning.
While people were prevented from entering the water in the closed-off section, they were still able to access the beach above the taped-off 30- to 50-foot-wide strip.
No illnesses were reported.
City public works and county sanitation workers helped in the effort.
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