Halloween weekend is turning into a real stinkfest for Long Beach beachgoers after 27,000 gallons of sewage spewed from a ruptured pipe near Belmont Shore.
The spill happened Friday evening, prompting health officials to close coastal waters throughout Long Beach amid fears that some of the waste made its way into the ocean, according to the Long Beach Post.
“The spill was associated with a force main break, a pressurized pipe to convey wastewater,” according to a statement from the local health department. It’s unclear what caused the break.
Local utility workers rerouted the sewage to bypass the line and are working on emergency repairs. The city has called in a contractor to clean up the spillage.
Some sewage may have went out into the ocean, forcing Long Beach to close coastal waters throughout the city. State law requires the closures any time sewage makes its way to the coast until testing shows the water meets quality standards.
The sewage spill comes as Long Beach residents have been bracing for high tides partly due to a stronger-than-usual El Nino.
Heavy equipment has been operating this week near the shoreline as crews worked to protect homes that have been affected by weeks of high-tide events.
Coastal flood advisories remain in effect across Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties with a fourth day of high tides. More high tides are expected around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
And this isn’t Long Beach’s first run-in with a nasty spill this year.
The city has repeatedly dealt with pollution flowing downstream from other communities through the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers.
In May, 2,400 gallons of oil spilled from a ruptured pipeline in Los Angeles and flowed into the LA River. Crews deployed oil-absorbing containment booms in Long Beach to keep the crude from reaching the ocean.
