{"id":387332,"date":"2026-07-05T22:38:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T22:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/387332\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T22:38:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T22:38:16","slug":"stunning-california-beach-reopens-after-disgusting-2000-gallon-spill-wrecked-fourth-of-july-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/387332\/","title":{"rendered":"Stunning California beach reopens after disgusting 2,000-gallon spill wrecked Fourth of July plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

A stunning California beach<\/a> has reopened after roughly 2,000 gallons of raw sewage <\/a>burst from a broken sewer line, surged through a Laguna Beach couple\u2019s backyard and into the Pacific.<\/p>\n

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.<\/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 Orange County Health Care Agency said the spill was caused by a malfunction of a force main sewer line pump. FOX11<\/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. 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 found raw sewage erupting from a broken pipe next door and pouring across their property. FOX11<\/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>.<\/p>\n

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

\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

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