20,000-gallon sewage spill closes Long Beach

An exceeding 20,000-gallon sewage spill closed almost 4 miles of beach on Tuesday, city officials warned, which is the fifth and second largest sewage spill for Long Beach this year.
This time, a broken sewer line near Watts out poured sewage that flows down the Los Angeles River from Compton Creeks, affecting the beach from 1st place to 72nd place, according to the Long Beach Health Department press release.
The spill was reported by the Los Angeles County Health Department at about 3:10 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
Dr. Helene Calvet, the city's health officer, closed the beach to water-based recreational activities "to protect the public from serious illness due to exposure from untreated sewage," according to a city statement.
The water will be tested by the Health Department to determine its bacterial content and when the levels are low enough for the beaches to be reopened.
For further information, call the water department hotline at 562-570-4199 or go to www.longbeach.gov/health.