Long Beach temporarily closed its ocean swimming areas west of the Belmont Pier on Wednesday, March 15, because of an approximately 18,000-gallon sewage spill in Paramount.
Those beach areas will remain closed until testing shows they meet state water quality standards, the city’s health department said in a Wednesday afternoon statement.
Sewers reaching capacity and the large amount of rain that fell on the Southland overnight caused the spill, Long Beach said. The sewage ran into the Los Angeles River, which flows into the ocean.
The city has about seven miles of public beaches and the Belmont Pier is actually closer to Seal Beach, in Orange County, than the western edge of the city.
Sewage spills can elevate bacteria levels at beaches beyond state-allowed maximums, which poses potential health risks.The state mandates health agencies close public beaches when sewage spills occur “out of an abundance of caution,” Long Beach said.
For updates on water quality at the city’s public beaches, call the water hotline, 562-570-4199, or go to longbeach.gov/beachwaterquality.
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