Untreated Effluent Flows Into River
About 500 gallons of untreated effluent spilled Monday morning into a storm drain that flows into Santa Clara River after a mechanical failure at a sewage lift station, officials said.
The spill is the third in the county in less than a month and the second in Ventura in the last two weeks.
Monday’s mechanical failure occurred at the station at North Bank and Burnside drives, sending sewage into the storm drain at nearby Petit Avenue, said Debra Borsos of the county’s Environmental Health Division. Warning signs were posted downstream at Linear Park, cautioning residents to avoid contact with the water in the Santa Clara River until Thursday morning.
On Feb. 9, a backup in a sewage line in northeastern Los Angeles County caused up to 700 gallons of untreated sewage to be discharged into Westlake Lake in Ventura County.
On Feb. 23, heavy rains contributed to a 600-gallon spill near Arundell Avenue and Arundell Circle in Ventura. The effluent flowed into Ventura Harbor near Beachmont Street.
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