30,000-Gallon Sewage Spill Shutters Seal Beach

SEAL BEACH, CA — All swimming areas in Seal Beach were closed Wednesday after 30,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the San Gabriel River.

Seal Beach Marine Safety Chief Joe Bailey told the Orange County Register that the spill came from the Coyote Canyon area, which feeds into the river. The coast is closed from the San Gabriel River jetty to the Anaheim Bay breakwater.

The Seal Beach spill is one of many that have impacted local waters, including an 8 million gallon spill that happened off the coast of San Pedro in Los Angeles County on Feb 5. Both spills happened during heavy rain storms hitting the region, which are known to cause infrastructure challenges.

The closure of Seal Beach will remain until samples of the ocean water come back with results that meet state standards for bacterial levels.

In addition to the sewage spill closure, a Rain Advisory is in effect for the entire county due to possible increases of bacteria in ocean waters.

"Ocean and bay recreational waters, especially near discharging storm drains, creeks and rivers can be contaminated with bacteria, chemicals, debris, trash, and other public health hazards from city streets and mountain areas after a rainfall," Marine Safety said.

For the safety of the public, people were encouraged to pay close attention to any warning signs at the beach.

To view the status of Seal Beach's recreational beach water quality, residents can visit the County's website.