A spill of about 4 million gallons of raw sewage led the Orange County Health Care Agency to declare the ocean water off-limits from Pelican Point at Crystal Cove State Park through Laguna Beach to Poche Beach at the Dana Point and San Clemente border. The agency posted the closures Wednesday night but did not reveal when, where and how the spill occurred. Orange County Health Officer Nichole Quick said the affected ocean and bay water areas will be closed to swimming and water sports until follow-up water quality monitoring shows they meet state bacteria standards. Advertisement“I want to stress the importance of avoiding contact with ocean water in the affected areas due to the danger of exposure to untreated sewage, which can be harmful and result in very serious illness with potentially severe effects,” Quick said. Anyone who smells sewage in the affected areas can file a complaint through the South Coast Air Quality Management District at (800) 288-7664.

Source: Los Angeles Times November 28, 2019 18:54 UTC