LA sewage spill forces closure of waters off Long Beach

Beaches in Long Beach, Calif., have been closed because of a sewage spill in downtown Los Angeles after a pipe ruptured on July 18, the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services confirms.

According to Long Beach city officials, sewage from the broken pipe entered the Los Angeles River, which carried it to the ocean.

According to public works officials, the top of a sewer pipe collapsed at about 2 p.m. Monday at Sixth Street and Mission Road.

Officials ordered all beaches in the Long Beach area and a portion of Seal Beach shut down pending testing of the waters.

The spill was stopped by about 11 p.m. Results weren’t expected until Wednesday.

It was not known how much tainted river water, if any, made it all the way to Long Beach.

“Most likely the beaches will be closed at least until Thursday, and depending on the status of the spill, it may be longer”, Kerr said.

The cause of the rupture wasn’t yet known.

We called the Department of Public Health to find out more about possible public health implications for Angelenos, especially those who live in close proximity to the river, but no one could talk-they were all in a meeting about said sewage spill. The pipe dates to the 1920s, Johnson said.