50,000 Gallons Of Sewage Spills Into Long Beach Waters, Beaches Closed

LONG BEACH, CA — Those looking to enjoy a splash in the ocean in the summer weather off the shore of Long Beach are out of luck due to yet another sewage spill impacting the city's beaches.

According to the Long Beach Department of Public Health, approximately 50,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the Alhambra Wash which leads into the Rio Hondo Channel flowing into the Los Angeles River. Officials said the spill was caused by a blockage in a sewer line that made it overflow.

"Water from the Los Angeles River connects to the Pacific Ocean in Long Beach, which means pollution anywhere upriver can affect the coastal waters of the City," the health department said in a statement.

This is the third sewage spill to affect Long Beach since the start of 2023, with an 18,000-gallon spill shutting beaches down in March and 250,000 gallons spilling in April.

Long Beach City Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis ordered all open coastal swimming areas in Long Beach temporarily closed for water contact due to a sewage spill. There have been five sewage spills in Los Angeles County in the last nine months.

In September 2022 beaches in Palos Verdes Estates, Torrance and Redondo Beach were shut down due to a 5,000-gallon spill. Beaches in Marina del Rey and Venice were also shut down in January after a spill of 64,000 gallons of raw sewage caused by a blocked main line.

Just last month, the Long Beach City Council unanimously voted to explore ways to hold upstream communities accountable for sewage spills that cause damage to tourism in Long Beach.

"As an active aquatic participant, and having a family who enjoys water year-round, we need to take a close look at this issue because we do not want to have that reputation of having contaminated water," Third District Councilwoman Kristina Duggan said. "We are dealing with the environmental and public health impacts ... that can cause illness or chronic health issues."

The city's Health Department's Recreational Water Quality Health Inspection Team is monitoring water quality along the affected beach sites. Water monitoring will continue until results comply with state water quality standards, said Long Beach spokeswoman Jennifer Rice Epstein.