Dockweiler State Beach Closed After Hypodermic Needles, Condoms Found Along

Two Los Angeles-area beaches remained closed Friday, days after more than 200 pounds of waste, including hypodermic needles and tampon applicators, were collected along the shore.

Cleaning crews spent the night removing what appeared to be medical waste that had washed up on Dockweiler State Beach.

Tonya Durrell, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles County, said the waste wasn’t toxic. According to CBS, on Wednesday evening, the County of Los Angeles’ of Public Health declared that an official beach closure was in effect, and the closure affected Dockweiler State Beach from Ballona Creek to Grand Avenue, located in Playa Del Rey.

But the waste were not from beachgoers but possibly discharges from the Hyperion Treatment Plant owned by LA.

Hyperion brought back online the mile-long pipeline because a heavy storm strained the regular 5-mile pipeline.

“It may have been sitting there, and as a result, the heavy rain storm and first flush of all of that may have pushed that matter out into the bay”, Durrell said.

Health officials said bacteria levels were elevated in the water.

The Hyperion plant is designed to capture solid waste and the pipelines are supposed to discharge only treated wastewater.

Environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay also is monitoring the beach. When disposed through the toilet, these will eventually get dumped in the ocean and “turn our valuable resource into a cesspool”.