LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio (SCPR), a member-supported public media network. Hear our news on-air at our partner site:
Persistent heavy rain has overloaded Southern California sewage systems causing it to barf sewage in three locations around the region.
Long Beach closed its beaches on Monday after 250,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the Los Angeles River near Studio City, an overflow that occurred on Sunday, says the Los Angeles County Bureau of Sanitation, notes the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
Another 10,000 gallons of waste water was let loose on Monday from Ventura county's Hill Canyon Treatment Plant into the Arroyo Conejo Creek, and 375 gallons of sewage was discharged from a Triunfo Sanitation District manhole in Thousand Oaks.
Notes the Long Beach Press-Telegram:
"Most bacterial contamination occurs during winter, when heavy rains overload storm drains and sewage systems, washing waste into the sea. Swimming in such pollution can cause gastrointestinal, respiratory and other illnesses."