The City of San Diego says a sewage breach polluted the San Diego River and shut down popular Dog Beach in Ocean Beach.

They say a valve failure was reported around 5 a.m. Wednesday at a nearby pump station and released about 18-thousand gallons of sewage, about half of that reached the San Diego River.  

Authorities closed the entrance channel of Mission Bay and also westbound traffic on Friars Road for work crews to fix the valve and clean up the spill. Environmental clean-up requires shoveling contaminated soil and treating with agricultural lime to sanitize and neutralize odors. 

Dog Beach will remain closed until water testing confirms bacterial levels are within health standards.

(Photo: Reporting partner 10 News)