Ban Lifted on Strip of Beaches Closed by Sewage Spill

Surf’s up and swimmers are back in the water.

After a 10-mile strip of beaches from Venice to Redondo Beach was closed Sunday because of a sewage spill, beach-goers hopped back in the water when officials lifted the ban Monday.

Pete Polanco, 16, went boogie boarding at Manhattan Beach, and said he was glad to be able to be back in the water. Pete calls the surf report each morning to make sure it is safe to get back in the water. The Gardena high school student spends just about every day at the beach. Not being able to go into the water Sunday was terrible, he said.

Tymen Schreuder’s days at the beach are limited because he’s visiting from Colorado. The 19-year-old surfer hauled his board from Boulder to spend every day of his two-week vacation riding the swells at Manhattan Beach, where he is visiting friends.

“I just wandered around,” Schreuder said. “I went to Hollywood too, but there’s nothing there.”

Pete Elman, a dispatcher for the Los Angeles County Fire Department at the lifeguard headquarters in Hermosa Beach, said people are still calling to see if it’s safe to go in the water. But on Tuesday there was only one-third of the 500 calls he fielded Monday.

One frequently asked question is whether it is really safe to go in the water. Lifeguards say the answer is yes.

“The ocean is fine. I swam this morning,” said Lt. Wally Millican with the Los Angeles County lifeguards. “The people are staying away to some degree, but by the weekend we will be back online.”

County lifeguard Simon Kim, who worked Manhattan Beach the two days after the sewage spill, said there have been no reports of people getting sick from the water. He went in the ocean to rescue a boogie boarder and reported that the water didn’t seem to be any different than usual.

The county Department of Health Services took water samples in 18 locations Sunday morning, received the test results early Monday and reopened the beaches at 8:30 a.m.

The county took its usual water samples in 32 places Monday and will have test results on Wednesday.