Beach Sorely Tested
A leak is suspected as the cause of the high bacteria levels that have forced the closure of Huntington State Beach to water recreation. The Orange County Sanitation District is inspecting a sewer trunk line that runs parallel to the shoreline under the parking lot. Here is how officials are looking for the possible leak and how they think contamination could be reaching the ocean.
Water table is closer to the surface and rises and falls with tide action.
Although tests have not found one yet, a leak would allow contamination to seep into ground water and spread to the ocean.
Officials suspect that high tides hold the contamination back, and extreme low tides pull contamination into the ocean.
84-inch sewer trunk line under parking lot flows toward Orange County Sanitation District plant at Brookhurst Street and Pacific Coast Highway.
Sources: California Department of Parks and Recreation, Orange County Sanitation District.
Video camera inserted into line at each manhole and pulled to next manhole.
Reporting and graphic by PAUL DUGINSKI / Los Angeles Times
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
