Aliso Beach Kept Closed by Sewage Spill

Aliso Beach remained closed Friday after 900,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into Aliso Creek, which drains into the ocean in the city of Laguna Beach.

The sewage came from a sewer pipe that ruptured Thursday in Aliso Park, officials said. The spill, the largest since a million-gallon incident in May, 1988, marks the third time sewage has contaminated Aliso Creek this year, according to Orange County health authorities. The previous two spills also were from broken sewer lines.

Friday’s spill also closed beach areas north to Treasure Island and south to Table Rock.

“I think Aliso Beach will probably be closed for a week, but we certainly hope to have it open again for the Fourth of July weekend,” said Michael Wehner, chief of the Orange County Health Care Agency’s water quality program.

Wehner said the adjacent beach areas--Treasure Island and Table Rock--may be opened sooner because they are not as close as Aliso Beach to Aliso Creek. The creek flows into the ocean at Aliso Beach, just north of the Aliso pier.

Wehner said strong surf conditions in recent days may help reduce health dangers from the spill “because more oxygen will get to the bacteria” left by the sewage.

“We won’t have preliminary testing information until Monday,” Wehner said.

Break Discovered Thursday

Michael Dunbar, assistant general manager and chief engineer for the South Coast Water District, said the sewer break was discovered about 9 a.m. Thursday in Aliso Park.

The park is a small, grassy recreation area on the north side of Coast Highway, opposite Aliso Beach. The park is bordered on the west by Aliso Creek, and there is a footpath under the Coast Highway bridge that connects the park and Aliso Beach.

Dunbar said the apparent cause of the spill was “an older pipeline that gave way” and ruptured.

Wehner said records show that Thursday’s spill was the third into Aliso Creek since Jan. 1.

On Jan. 22, a broken sewer line in the El Toro area, just north of Interstate 5, caused a spill of 175,000 gallons into the creek, Wehner said. On March 28, another sewer break caused a spill of about 300,000 gallons into the creek about 1 1/2 miles north of the beach, he said.

Wehner said sewer pipe breaks can occur for a variety of reasons. He said the pipe in the Jan. 22 incident was a relatively new one made of a composite material that “proved particularly vulnerable to breaks . . . it’s material (that is) not used anymore.”

The pipe involved in the March 28 break became exposed and vulnerable due to the shifting course of Aliso Creek, Wehner said.

The cause of Thursday’s pipe rupture still was being investigated, he said.

Sewage contains bacteria that can cause illnesses.

“The greatest danger would be from ingestion of any of the contaminated water,” Wehner said. “There also could be a danger if anyone had wounds or sores that came in contact with the water.”

Money for Repairs

Laguna Beach Councilman Neil G. Fitzpatrick said the city, concerned about an upsurge in sewage spills, has appropriated money for repair work.

“We’ve had several (sewage spills) in the last couple of years, and we’ve put capital expenditure money for improved sewer lines into the budget,” Fitzpatrick said. The city also purchased a portable generator for use if an electrical malfunction causes sewage system pumps to fail, causing overflows.

Terry Brandt, director of municipal services for Laguna Beach, said the city budget now earmarks about $350,000 for sewer repairs and upgrading and another $26,000 for the portable generator. Laguna Beach has earmarked another $450,000 for sewer repairs next year, Brandt added.

Wehner said that one reason Aliso Creek seems to be so frequently hit by sewage spill problems is because of its long, spiraling course through a big portion of Orange County. “It’s a pretty significant watershed,” Wehner said.