News ReleaseCity of Long Beach Public Information Office
333 W. Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802

10/25/2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE #CM: 102509
Subject :

Long Beach Open Coastal Beaches Closed from 3rd Place to Belmont Pier Due to Sewage Spill
Contact :Nelson Kerr, Recreational Water Manager    562.570.4170
City Health Officer Dr. Helene Calvet issued a beach closure Saturday evening, closing Long Beach's open coastal beaches to water-based recreational activities from 3rd Place to Belmont Pier.  The closure is due to a 1,400 gallon sewage spill in the downtown Long Beach area that flowed into Rainbow Harbor.      

At approximately 7:30pm, on October 24, 2009, the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) was notified of a sewage spill from a leaking sewage line near 65 Cedar Ave.  The spill entered the storm system and reached the water near Shoreline Village. The volume of the spill was estimated at between 400 and 1400 gallons.  

In order to protect the public from serious illness due to exposure to untreated sewage, the City Health Officer has ordered open coastal beaches from 3rd Place to the Belmont Pier closed to water based recreational activities involving bodily contact with the water.  The beaches will remain closed until test results indicate that bacteria levels are at acceptable levels (within State law) to allow for recreational swimming and other water based activities.  People at beach areas should always pay particular attention to any warning signs posted at the beach for their safety.

Water quality testing will continue to be conducted by the Health Department’s Recreational Water Program to monitor the bacteriological content of the water and determine when the beaches may be re-opened.  

Further information about the recreational water quality in Long Beach may be obtained from the Health Department’s Water Quality Information Line, 570.4199, or at www.longbeach.gov/health.

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