Mile Stretch of Beach Reopens After Spill Scare

Officials reopened a mile-long stretch of beach at the Santa Clara River mouth Monday, after determining that a sewage spill did not flow into the river as first feared.

Elizabeth Huff, community services coordinator for the Ventura County Environmental Health Division, said a blocked sewer pipe on Phoenix Avenue in east Ventura caused 20,000 gallons of domestic sewage to spill onto city streets about 3 p.m.

The waste flowed into a storm drain at Denver Street. After traveling a mile south, the waste emptied into the riverbed through a barranca at North Bank Linear Park located at South Petit Avenue and North Bank Drive.

A half-mile of beach on either side of the river mouth was closed as a precaution in case any of the sewage made it to the water, Huff said.

But at noon Monday, Huff ordered the beach reopened after water specialists determined the river was not affected by the spill.

“The sewage made it to the river bottom and saturated into the sand,” Huff said.

Officials are not sure how much of the waste made it to the river bottom, but say they are confident it is not enough to pose any long-term health threats.

“We’re not anticipating any rain or the river to change its course,” Huff said.

City crews flushed the streets and storm drain with chlorine and 14,000 gallons of fresh water, and dumped the mixture back into the sewer system.

Warning signs will remain posted along the barranca through Wednesday.