Health Officials Put Harbor Area Off-Limits
Orange County health officials closed the waters off the Harbor Patrol dock in Dana Point Harbor on Monday after learning that a vessel pump-out station has been leaking for an unknown period of time. The station is used to unload sewage from boat toilets.
The waters off the dock are used by divers working on boats; they will remain off-limits until water-quality tests show they are safe. Swimming in sewage-tainted water can cause gastrointestinal problems; eye, ear, nose and throat infections; and viral diseases such as hepatitis.
The closure is the 25th time this year that Orange County waters have been deemed unsafe because they were tainted by sewage.
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