Sewage

CORONA DEL MAR -- About 3,000 gallons of sewage that included construction materials such as paint and drywall forced the closure of Little Corona beach Wednesday. Orange County Health Care Agency officials said the raw sewage spilled Monday and flowed into Buck Gully, eventually winding up at the beach. A blocked line operated by the Irvine Ranch Water District caused the closure, which was announced at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday. The beach remained closed Thursday as investigators with both public agencies worked to determine the spill's cause.

Alex Coolman Perfect waves turned perfectly foul Tuesday as raw sewage poured into the ocean at the mouth of the Santa Ana River, forcing a beach closure from the Talbert channel to Orange Street in Newport Beach. Starting at about 5 a.m., 3,000 to 5,000 gallons of sewage spilled from a Orange County Sanitation District line, said Monica Mazur of the Orange County Health Care Agency. The spill was caused by a broken pipe near the pump station at Harbor Boulevard and Gisler Avenue in Costa Mesa, said Michelle Tuchman, spokeswoman for the sanitation district.

Paul Clinton Newport-Mesa -- Less than two full days after agreeing to fully treat its waste water, water-quality regulators ordered the Orange County Sanitation District to immediately reduce bacteria levels using industrial bleach. The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board unanimously approved changes in the agency's ocean discharge permit, at a Friday meeting, that directs the district to begin bleaching by Aug. 12 and tightens monitoring standards for bacteria levels in the waste plume.

Alex Coolman A Surfrider Foundation report has handed out mediocre grades to the agencies that handle sewage for the Newport-Mesa area. The environmental group's report, released Tuesday, is a comparison of all the agencies in Orange County that handle sewage. The study notes how well they managed to transport the stuff between January 1996 and July 2000, and how often they spilled it. Such spills, which can create elevated levels of bacteria in ocean water, are one of the more visible causes of beach closures and the posting of warnings about contamination hazards.

Paul Clinton Disinfecting Orange County's sewage with chlorine may be new to residents here, but the process dates back to the 1850s and has been widely used by sanitary districts in other pockets of the country. Last week, the Orange County Sanitation District joined many of its peers in the waste treatment business by beginning a process in which the sewage is soaked with industrial-strength bleach. After a dechlorination chemical removes the bleach, the waste is released via an outfall pipe on the ocean floor 4 1/2 miles out to sea. The bleach, about three times more potent than the everyday household variety, kills off much of the bacteria present in the sewage, which is also treated with other methods.

Surfers and swimmers were allowed back on the beach Thursday when county officials deemed the waters safe from traces of a sewage spill earlier this week. The shoreline was closed Tuesday between Orange Street in Newport Beach and Talbert Channel in Huntington Beach after about 5,000 gallons of sewage flowed into the ocean near the Santa Ana River mouth. The cause was a broken pipe at an Orange County Sanitation District pump house in Costa Mesa. County health officials conducted tests to determine contamination levels.

Paul Clinton NEWPORT BEACH -- City officials expect to join other coastal cities next month in a drive to hamper the Orange County Sanitation District's ability to dump treated sewage into the ocean. On Tuesday, Councilman Tod Ridgeway vowed to work to end a federal waiver allowing the district to discharge sewage that doesn't meet Clean Water Act standards. The district pumps 243 million gallons of partially treated sewage into the Pacific each day from an "outfall" pipe on the ocean floor.

Paul Clinton NEWPORT-MESA -- A bill that would require the Orange County Sanitation District to step up the treatment of its sewage has sailed through the state Assembly. The legislation, known as Assembly Bill 1969, passed in that house of the Legislature on a 62-8 vote on Wednesday evening. It now moves to the Senate for approval. Author Ken Maddox, whose new district in November will include Costa Mesa, praised the overwhelming support for the legislation, which would also short-circuit the district's attempt to renew a federal waiver that would keep treatment levels status quo. The district dumps 240-million gallons of partially treated sewage into the ocean each day via an outfall pipe leading 4 1/2 miles out to sea. City officials suspect this plume of sewage is contributing to bacteria contamination in the surf zone.

June Casagrande NEWPORT BEACH -- The City Council next week is expected to jump aboard a growing movement to insist water pumped off its shores be treated and cleaned more completely than it is now. But the $400-million price tag to better treat the water may be more than taxpayers throughout the county are willing to pay. The City Council on Tuesday is poised to take a stand against the Orange County Sanitation District's...

A portion of the coast near the Balboa Pier remained closed Wednesday after a sewage spill the day before contaminated the waters off Newport Beach. The area 1,000 feet upcoast and 1,000 feet downcoast of the Balboa Pier are closed for swimming, diving or surfing until further notice, according to a Tuesday statement from the Orange County Health Care Agency. Up-to-date information on beach closures is available on the agency's website, http://www.ocbeachinfo.com , and its Twitter account, @ocbeachinfo.

CORONA DEL MAR — Workers have replaced the broken pipeline that sending thousands of gallons of untreated sewage onto a local street last week, leading to the closure of Little Corona Beach. Officials from the Irvine Ranch Water District still have not determined what caused a 12-inch plastic pipe to rupture under Newport Coast Drive and Ridge Park Road on July 2, said district spokeswoman Shannon Reed. The pipe was installed five years ago, she said. After the rupture, raw, untreated sewage bubbled to the street until it drained into a storm drain on the other side, Reed said.

Toxicity tests taken this morning should determine when Newport Beach's Little Corona beach, which was closed after Friday's sewage spill, can be reopened to the public, city officials said Saturday. A sewer line broke about three miles inland near Newport Coast Drive and Ridge Park Road on Friday. Thousands of gallons of raw, untreated sewage streamed down Buck Gully toward the ocean, county officials said. The sewage was leaking at about 200 gallons a minute, Shannon Reed, Irvine Ranch Water District spokeswoman, said Friday.

Little Corona Beach will be closed through the July Fourth holiday weekend after a sewer line ruptured Friday morning, sending thousands of gallons of untreated sewage into the ocean. The line, operated by the Irvine Ranch Water District, broke about three miles inland at Newport Coast Drive and Ridge Park Road, spilling 200 gallons of sewage per minute, water district spokeswoman Shannon Reed said. As of 3:30 p.m. today, 18,000 gallons of sewage had flowed into Buck Gully, where a creek took the contaminated water to Little Corona.

A sewage spill in the Bayside Coves area of Newport Bay on Tuesday caused the Orange County Health Care Agency to close off a quarter-mile area to swimmers and divers, said Larry Honeybourne, program manager with the agency. The city of Newport Beach responded about 11:30 a.m. to a spill caused by one of Vons Pavilions grease interceptors. The plumbing device overflowed, causing grease and sewage to spill into the parking lot, run off to the storm drain and then spill into the Bayside Coves area.

Part of Newport Harbor between the Balboa Bay Club and Arbor Drive will remain closed until at least this afternoon, after county health officials said bacteria samples taken over the weekend showed that the water was unsafe. The Orange County Health Care Agency shut down a part of the Lido Channel between the Balboa Bay Club’s “B” dock and Arbor Drive in Newport Bay after reporting Friday that a 250-gallon sewage spill had contaminated the water. The sewage was going through pipes from a home to the pipes under Pacific Coast Highway when a pump failed and caused the sewage to gush out of a manhole near the Balboa Bay Club and into the water, officials said.

A sewage spill has led Orange County health officials to close a part of the ocean in Newport Beach. The area affected by the 250-gallon spill includes from ?B? dock at Balboa Bay Club down bay to Arbor Drive in Newport Bay. A sewage lift pump failure in a private property owner?s sewer lateral ? a pipe that carries waste from a residence to the sanitary sewer main running in the street ? caused the contamination. Officials will keep the area closed to water activity until they determine it?

A 200-gallon sewage spill Tuesday forced the closing of a portion of the Newport Harbor to swimmers and surfers until Friday morning at least. The minor spill, which probably came from a city pipeline, was reported at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. Bacteria quantities should be down to acceptable levels by today, according to Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff. ?It?s a pretty small spill. We hate spills generally, though, so it?s disappointing when this happens,? Kiff said. There is a minimum required closure time of three days, which means the stretch of beach from Bayside Drive Beach to Bayside Place will not be open until Friday morning at the earliest.