4,000 gallons of sewage and rainwater spill into SLO creek, prompting beach closure
Update, 8:15 p.m.:
Deputy city manager Greg Hermann said the amount that spilled from the treatment facility Thursday afternoon was actually 4,000 gallons.
According to Hermann, the initial report of 50,000 gallons was an estimate, and the city has been able to get a better number since first releasing the info.
Original story:
About 50,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater mixed with rainwater spilled from a San Luis Obispo treatment facility Thursday afternoon and into a creek, prompting a nearby beach closure.
According to the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department, the sewage mixture began spilling from a treatment facility around 12:40 p.m. “due to the storm surge event.”
The Department said approximately 50,000 gallons was released into San Luis Obispo Creek during the event. The spill was mitigated by 1 p.m., the release said.
The San Luis Obispo County Environmental Health Services Division advised beachgoers to avoid contact with ocean water at the creek outfall at Avila Beach as a result of the spill.
According to the agency, beach closure advisories have been issued for that area, as well as up-coast and down-coast of the Avila Beach Pier.
Ocean water samples will be taken at these locations Friday, the release said.
This story was originally published February 13, 2025 at 5:22 PM.
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