LA Harbor Area Beaches Closed after Sewage Spill of Up to 7 Million Gallons

On Dec. 30, the Los Angeles Department of Public Works announced the closure of Los Angeles County beaches after 6 to 7 million gallons of sewage spilled into the Dominguez Channel. 

Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts located the spill at the intersection of 212th St. and Moneta St. in the city of Carson. The spill was from a 48-inch sewer main collapse near the 110 Northbound off-ramp. 

Specialty contractors have been on-site cleaning the spill since Thursday night, LA County Sanitation Districts announced in a statement. 

The sewage cleanup is expected to be completed before ringing in the New Year. 

City officials announced the affected beaches would remain closed until the water quality is determined safe to swim in. An updated map with the impacted beaches can be found here.

According to the LA County Sanitation District hydrogen sulfide was not detected. 

There is no threat to public health, officials said. 

In October, the Dominguez Channel made national headlines for releasing high levels of hydrogen sulfide that sent residents of Carson to the emergency room for intense headaches and nausea. City officials later said the origin of the “rotten-egg” smell came from a warehouse fire containing beauty and wellness products.

On New Year’s Eve, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn shared her frustrations and concerns about the spill. 

“A sewage spill of this magnitude is dangerous and unacceptable, and we need to understand what happened,” she said. “The recent storm undoubtedly contributed to the spill, but we need infrastructure that doesn’t fail when it rains.”

Long Beach water quality details:  562-570-4199

L.A. County beach advisories details: 1-800-525-5662; publichealth.lacounty.gov/beach/