More than 4,000 gallons of sewage spill on New Year’s Eve, closing SLO County beach
Around 4,250 gallons of sewage were released on New Year’s Eve due to a sewage line blockage, leading to the closure of a section of Avila Beach shoreline, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department said.
The spill, which started around 5 p.m. Saturday and was stopped at 6:25 p.m., “impacted a storm drain leading to San Luis Obispo Creek,” the county said in a news release Sunday.
Avila Beach was closed 350 yards west of the pier at the creek outfall, according to the Surf Safe SLO site, which tracks beach water quality status for San Luis Obispo County.
“Ocean water samples will be taken from Avila Beach Sunday morning,” the county said.
Other sections of Avila Beach and neighboring beaches remained open Sunday, though 18 locations across San Luis Obispo County were under a rain advisory.
“The San Luis Obispo Environmental Health Services Division advises the public to avoid water contact for 72 hours following a significant rain event,” the county said on the the Surf Safe SLO site.
“Rainstorm runoff is known to transport high levels of disease-causing organisms such as bacteria, viruses and protozoa from the watershed and urban areas to the ocean,” the county said in the release.
Those organisms can cause skin, respiratory and intestinal problems, the county said, noting that young children, older adults and people with compromised immune systems are “especially vulnerable to these waterborne pathogens.“
Surfers and swimmers are advised to avoid ocean water, especially near creeks, rivers, storm drains and other outlets that lead to the ocean.
