Another day, another sewage spill. This time, approximately 14,400 gallons of untreated sewage poured forth into Ballona Creek and out into Santa Monica Bay. The discharge began sometime Wednesday and ended around noon Thursday, officials have said. However, there is currently no information about exactly how the deluge of doodoo made its way into the ocean.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials have warned people to stay out of the water and the wet sand from Ballona Creek to one mile north of Venice Beach and one mile south of Dockweiler.
According to their website, "The Department of Public Health will conduct water sampling beginning on May 10th, and the closures will remain in effect until Public Health receives two sampling results indicating that bacterial levels meet health standards."
That said, the Beach Water Quality Advisories are still green as of this morning for the beaches of Santa Monica, with the small exception of the water around Santa Monica Pier, but that has its own unique set of problems.
In April of last year, an estimated 250,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the streets in Downey. The flood of fecal matter flowed into storm drains leading to the Los Angeles River and out into the waters of Long Beach Harbor and San Pedro Bay, prompting beach closures in those communities.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park announced an initiative to clean up the beaches of Venice and during her press conference issued a very pertinent reminder, “Our coastal areas are the repository for the entire region’s watershed, which means that trash and debris from across the entire city and up right here at the beach.”
scott.snowden@smdp.com