SLO County beach closed as sewage leaks into river
A San Luis Obispo County beach area was closed Wednesday due to an ongoing sewage spill from a wastewater treatment plant in Guadalupe.
The Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve in the southern reaches of San Luis Obispo County is closed for three miles around the mouth of the Santa Maria River.
That’s because there is an ongoing release of sewage from the Guadalupe wastewater treatment plant into the river, according to the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department.
The sewage has gone through some treatment but it has not been disinfected, the public health department said in a news release Wednesday afternoon.
“Contact with sewage contaminated water increases the risk for certain types of illnesses,” the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department said in a release Wednesday afternoon.
It’s unknown how much sewage has been released into the river, or when the spill will stop.
Signs will be posted at the dunes preserve warning people to avoid contact with the water until samples indicate it is safe to do so.
Both public health departments advise people to avoid contact with any beach water for at least three days after it has rained.
“Rainstorm runoff is known to transport high levels of disease-causing organisms such as bacteria, viruses and protozoa from the watershed to the ocean,” the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department said. “Such organisms carried into the ocean can cause skin, respiratory and intestinal problems.”
The agency said that young children, older adults and people with compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable to waterborne pathogens.
