A number of Los Angeles County beaches have been closed Friday, one day after 6 to 7 million gallons of untreated sewage was discharged into the Dominguez Channel.
The sewage spill occurred in the city of Carson and was caused by the failure of a 48-inch sewer main line, the California Office of Emergency Services reported.
The Dominguez Channel flows into the Los Angeles Harbor at the Port of Los Angeles.
Officials initially estimated the spill at 2 to 4 million gallons before revising the estimate upward to as high as 7 million gallons on Friday afternoon.
Beaches in the southern part of the county will be temporarily closed through Rancho Palos Verdes Beach, according to the L.A. Department of Public Health.
The spill also prompted the cancellation of the New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim at Cabrillo Beach.
A map as well as list of the impacted beaches can be found here.
Earlier Friday, officials in Long Beach announced the city was closing its beaches due to the spill.
“A water-quality inspection team will be monitoring the affected beach sites and all swimming areas will be closed until the water quality meets state requirements,” a city of Long Beach news released stated.
Long Beach has about 7 miles of public beach, where water samples are tested routinely for public safety.
It’s unclear what caused the spill, which came after a major storm brought record-breaking rain on Thursday to some L.A. County cities, among them Long Beach.
L.A.. County Supervisor Janice Hahn is seeking an investigation into cause, describing the magnitude of the sewage spill as “dangerous and unacceptable.”
“I am calling on LA County Sanitation Districts to do a full investigation into the cause of this spill and whether aging or faulty infrastructure was involved,” she said in a statement.
Information on L.A. County beach advisories can be found on the county’s 24-hour hotline 1-800-525-5662 or online at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/beach/.
For updates on the status of Long Beach water quality, the public can call the Water Hotline at 562-570-4199 or follow the city’s Twitter feed.