If you're thinking about taking a dip in the ocean to cool off today, you might want to think again.
Officials say a one-mile stretch of water from Dockweiler RV Park to El Segundo is off-limits to swimmers due to a massive, overnight raw sewage spill.
About 17 million gallons of untreated sewage flowed out of the Hyperion Treatment Plant, just outside LAX, around 7 p.m. on Sunday night, and it didn't completely stop until sometime Monday morning.
L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn says it was due to some kind of mechanical failure at the facility.
A power outage at the Hyperion plant last night caused untreated sewage to be discharged into the ocean. Water samples are being tested and I'm getting more information about the scope of the problem.
— Janice Hahn (@SupJaniceHahn) July 12, 2021
Beaches from El Segundo to the Dockweiler RV Park are closed for swimming.
It goes without saying (but we'll say it again anyway) that raw sewage can carry harmful levels of bacteria and viruses, which can be hazardous to human health. So beachgoers are asked to stay out of the water until further notice.
PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT: 17 million gallons of raw sewage were spilled into the Santa Monica Bay on 7/11-7/12. Dockweiler State Beach and El Segundo Beach are closed to the public. We recommend staying out of the water. We'll keep you updated as we learn more.https://t.co/8sP1MplBKa pic.twitter.com/PNl7QJlu9u
— Heal the Bay (@HealTheBay) July 12, 2021
Environmental group Heal the Bay says this is the first major sewage spill of this size to happen in the area since 2015.
