Aliso Creek Sewage Spill Closes Part of Beach

Orange County health officials closed 2,000 feet of shoreline in Laguna Beach on Thursday after a spill of raw sewage into Aliso Creek.

It was the third such spill to foul the creek--the subject of a bureaucratic battle over a state cleanup order--just since Jan. 1.

A blocked line at the Aliso Water Management Agency’s coastal treatment plant sent 500 gallons of untreated sewage into the creek around 8 a.m., said Orange County Health Care Agency spokeswoman Monica Mazur.

The blockage forced sewage out of a floor drain in the building, over a concrete curb and into the creek, said agency Chairman Wayne Baglin.

Because the plant is right next to the waterway, the spill was “a direct shot right into the creek,” Mazur said.

About 100 gallons was recovered, but 400 gallons flowed through wetlands and the Aliso Creek Golf Course before hitting the beach.

The treatment plant is a quarter-mile from the ocean. Aliso Creek, which drains more than 34 square miles, empties into the ocean at Aliso Beach County Park, which will be closed at least until Sunday, Mazur said.

“Honestly, I was outraged at the spill,” said Baglin, who also is chairman of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. “This is the type of thing that severely damages the reputation of all of the sewage treatment agencies. . . . I could not believe we did not have a backup system in place to prevent this from happening.”

It’s the latest blow for one of the county’s most polluted waterways. Aliso Creek is the subject of a bureaucratic battle between the water-quality board, which has ordered a cleanup plan, and local officials who contend they are already taking steps to combat pollution.

Urban runoff--trash, chemicals and pollutants washed off streets and lawns into storm drains and area waterways--is also a perpetual problem. Surfers and swimmers are frequently warned of health risks at the creek’s mouth.

Thursday’s accident is the third sewage spill this year into Aliso Creek, which suffered two such spills in 1999. There also have been two reclaimed water spills into the creek this year, Mazur said.

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More Muck

A 500-gallon raw sewage spill into Aliso Creek Thursday caused the closure of 2,000 feet of shoreline in Laguna Beach. This is the third sewage spill into the polluted watershed this year. 1. * Jan. 4

390-gallon raw sewage spill (artist note: 630 Avenida Sevilla, Laguna Woods)

2. Jan. 11

3,000-gallon reclaimed water spill (artist note: at Golden Lantern and Marina Hills Drive, on the east side of Laguna Niguel)

3. Jan. 12

225-gallon reclaimed water spill (artist note: at Moulton Pkwy., Laguna Hills)

4. Jan. 18

75-gallon raw sewage spill (artist note: at Alicia Pkwy. and Paseo de Alicia (near Alicia Pkwy. and the 5), Laguna Hills)

5. * Feb. 17

500 gallons of raw sewage (artist note: Aliso Water Management Agency’s coastal treatment plant, Laguna Beach)

* caused beach closures [Jan. 4 and Feb. 17]

Source: County of Orange Health Care Agency