A stunning California beach has reopened after roughly 2,000 gallons of raw sewage burst from a broken sewer line, surged through a Laguna Beach couple’s backyard and into the Pacific.
Since Friday the closure covered a quarter-mile of shoreline north and south of Anita Street at Thalia Beach, where swimming, surfing and diving were banned for three days.
The closure covers a quarter-mile of shoreline north and south of Anita Street at Thalia Beach. Getty Images/iStockphoto
The Orange County Health Care Agency said the spill was caused by a malfunction of a force main sewer line pump. FOX11
Officials said the water will remain off-limits until follow-up testing confirms it meets state health standards. FOX11
For Lee and Lynn Cohen, the nightmare unfolded before the sewage ever reached the ocean. The couple had been at a party Thursday night when their phones were flooded with alerts.
When they rushed home, they found raw sewage erupting from a broken pipe next door and pouring across their property.
They found raw sewage erupting from a broken pipe next door and pouring across their property. FOX11
For Lee and Lynn Cohen, the nightmare unfolded before the sewage ever reached the ocean. FOX11
“Quite a bit of flow was coming down there, and it finds a path of least resistance, and it flowed right through our yard,” Lee Cohen told FOX 11.
“And so we had kind of had a river of, yes, kaka going through our place. And it was a mess, left a mess. But hey, the city was down here quickly.”
Cohen said city crews responded Thursday night and brought the leak under control in about two hours, although county officials have not independently confirmed that timeline.
The Orange County Health Care Agency said the spill was caused by a malfunction of a force main sewer line pump.
Cohen said city crews responded Thursday night and brought the leak under control in about two hours. FOX11
Some beachgoers didn’t realize the water had been contaminated. FOX11
“We’re closely monitoring an active sewage spill of approximately 2,000 gallons in Laguna Beach, caused by a malfunction of a force main sewer line pump,” Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said in a statement Thursday.
“Orange County Environmental Health is assessing water quality and determining the extent of necessary beach and ocean closures over the holiday weekend.”
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