Sewage spill in Long Beach closes 7 miles of shoreline

Beaches in Long Beach are temporarily closed after a sewage spill over the weekend tainted the waters.

A power outage Saturday caused a pump station to fail, spilling approximately 50,000 gallons of sewage into the Los Cerritos Channel on Long Beach’s eastern border, according to a city news release. Long Beach city health officer Dr. Anissa Davis ordered a temporary closure of the city’s roughly seven miles of shoreline.

The beaches may not reopen until early next week, according to a representative from the Long Beach Water Quality program. Bacteria levels are expected to rise during Monday’s rainstorm and may take several days to return to a healthy status.

The city’s health department is monitoring water quality and will continue to test samples until the water returns to state standards, officials said. A team tests water samples weekly to monitor bacteria levels.

For updates on the status of the closures, call the city’s water hotline at (562) 570-4199.