17 Million Gallon Sewage Spill Closes LA County Beaches

A power outage on Sunday at Los Angeles’ largest treatment plant, the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant, caused 17 million gallons of untreated sewage to spill into the ocean.

According to ABC:

Hyperion Executive Plant Manager Timeyin Dafeta issued a statement Monday afternoon saying that on Sunday afternoon, the plant “became inundated with overwhelming quantities of debris, causing backup of the headworks facilities. The plant’s relief system was triggered and sewage flows were controlled through use of the plant’s one-mile outfall and discharge of untreated sewage into Santa Monica Bay.”

Dafeta said the 17 million gallons of sewage — about 6% of a daily load — were discharged as an emergency measure through the one-mile outfall to prevent the plant from going offline and discharging more raw sewage. Normally, treated sewage is discharged through the five-mile outfall.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health advised people to avoid contact with the ocean in the following areas:

-Dockweiler State Beach at Water Way Extension

-Dockweiler State Beach at Hyperion Plant

-El Segundo Beach

-Grand Avenue Storm Drain.

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