A portion of Newport Bay was closed at 4:15 p.m. today after a sewage spill near Bayshore beach, according to the Orange County Health Agency.
The closure means swimmers and divers are restricted from the area until test come back that say it’s safe to get back in.
The spill was caused by a sewer line that backed up from a rehabilitation hospital on 16th street, said Larry Honeyborne, water quality scientist for the county.
Honeyborne said 500 gallons spilled, but the city was able to capture about 300 gallons before it entered the storm drain. About 200 gallons ended up flowing down the storm drain and flowing out onto the beach area, near the Pacific Coast Highway overpass.
The county will begin testing water samples on Wednesday to determine whether the area can be opened up to the public, but it will likely take a few days before the public can get back into the water.
According to a recent study by Heal the Bay, the number of beach closures in Orange County has dropped from previous years.
Of the 12 total sewage spills during last years report period, the only spill of “significant size” happened at Aliso Creek in July, which left the beach closed for several days. Read more from that that “Beach Bummer” blog here.
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