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By Marni Rose McFall
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Large parts of Laguna Beach have been forced to close after a sewer main broke near Laguna Niguel Regional Park, spilling 465,000 gallons of sewage.
Newsweek has reached out to the Orange County Health Care Agency outside of normal working hours via email for comment.
Why It Matters
This is one of the largest sewage spills in California in recent months. Sewage spills pose serious public health risks because they contain harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites that can cause diseases such as gastrointestinal infections, hepatitis A and cholera.
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Laguna Beach, which has a population of 23,000, is a popular tourist destination and welcomes around six million visitors every year.
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What To Know
The coastal waters off Laguna Beach have been closed between Treasure Island and Table Rock at Aliso Beach following the break in the main sewer line, which caused an undetermined portion of sewage to sweep into nearby beaches.
The sewage line has since been patched but beaches will remain closed to activities including swimming, surfing and diving, and waters will remain closed until conditions improve, Orange County officials have said.
On December 3, a section of Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point was closed after a spill of 3,375 gallons of sewage into the sea.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that there are at least 23,000 to 75,000 sanitary sewer overflows in U.S. every year. This number does not include sewage backups into buildings.
Sewage spills can introduce toxic chemicals, heavy metals and pharmaceuticals into the environment, contaminating soil and water sources. People exposed to sewage-contaminated water or surfaces may experience acute health problems and prolonged exposure can lead to chronic conditions or environmental damage.
Spills can also exacerbate the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can further complicate public health efforts.
The latest incident comes as the state of California also battles wildfires. Los Angeles County has been ravaged by blazes across multiple neighborhoods, with the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires—in Pacific Palisades and Malibu, and Pasadena and Altaden respectively—the most destructive. Laguna Beach is around 40 miles south of Los Angeles.
What People Are Saying
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley wrote in a post on X: "I urge OC residents, visitors, and tourists to heed public health experts' warnings and avoid the closed beaches in Laguna while the @ochealth tests water quality."
What Happens Next
The affected areas will remain closed until the results of follow-up water quality monitoring meet acceptable standards, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.
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