{"id":387275,"date":"2026-07-05T21:24:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T21:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/387275\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T21:24:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T21:24:17","slug":"disgusting-2000-gallon-spill-wrecks-fourth-of-july-along-stunning-california-coastline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/387275\/","title":{"rendered":"Disgusting 2,000-gallon spill wrecks Fourth of July along stunning California coastline"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Fourth of July beach getaway turned stomach-churning<\/a> after roughly 2,000 gallons of raw sewage burst from a broken sewer line, surged through a Laguna Beach couple\u2019s backyard and spilled into the Pacific, forcing officials to close part of the picturesque coastline through the holiday weekend<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The closure covers a quarter-mile of shoreline north and south of Anita Street at Thalia Beach, where swimming, surfing and diving are banned for at least three days.<\/p>\n

Officials said the water will remain off limits until follow-up testing confirms it meets state health standards.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The closure covers a quarter-mile of shoreline north and south of Anita Street at Thalia Beach. Getty Images\/iStockphoto<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Orange County Health Care Agency said the spill was caused by a malfunction of a force main sewer line pump. FOX11<\/p>\n

\"Officials<\/p>\n

Officials said the water will remain off-limits until follow-up testing confirms it meets state health standards. FOX11<\/p>\n

For Lee and Lynn Cohen, the nightmare unfolded before the sewage ever reached the ocean.<\/p>\n

The couple had been at a party Thursday night when their phones were flooded with alerts.<\/p>\n

When they rushed home, they found raw sewage erupting from a broken pipe next door and pouring across their property.<\/p>\n

\"They<\/p>\n

They found raw sewage erupting from a broken pipe next door and pouring across their property. FOX11<\/p>\n

\"For<\/p>\n

For Lee and Lynn Cohen, the nightmare unfolded before the sewage ever reached the ocean. FOX11<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite a bit of flow was coming down there, and it finds a path of least resistance, and it flowed right through our yard,\u201d Lee Cohen told FOX 11<\/a>. \u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Orange County Health Care Agency<\/a> said the spill was caused by a malfunction of a force main sewer line pump.<\/p>\n

\"Cohen<\/p>\n

Cohen said city crews responded Thursday night and brought the leak under control in about two hours. FOX11<\/p>\n

\"Some<\/p>\n

Some beachgoers didn\u2019t realize the water had been contaminated. FOX11<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re 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,\u201d Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said in a statement Thursday. \u201cOrange County Environmental Health is assessing water quality and determining the extent of necessary beach and ocean closures over the holiday weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Megan Lee, who drove from Irvine hoping to cool off in the ocean, said the closure was disappointing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a little bit of a bummer, like we kind of wanted to dip our feet in, maybe go in,\u201d Lee told FOX 11. \u201cWe haven\u2019t been swimming in like years, so. And it\u2019s a beautiful day, and so to hear that we can\u2019t go in is a little sucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some beachgoers didn\u2019t realize the water had been contaminated.<\/p>\n

Bridget Santos, who was visiting from Culver City, said she hadn\u2019t noticed the warning signs before learning about the spill.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hope people are aware of it, because I would hate to be swimming in the water and then hear that there was sewage in it,\u201d Santos told FOX. \u201cThat would be kind of worst-case scenario, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

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