Sewage spill spoils surf

Alex Coolman

Perfect waves turned perfectly foul Tuesday as raw sewage poured into the

ocean at the mouth of the Santa Ana River, forcing a beach closure from

the Talbert channel to Orange Street in Newport Beach.

Starting at about 5 a.m., 3,000 to 5,000 gallons of sewage spilled from a

Orange County Sanitation District line, said Monica Mazur of the Orange

County Health Care Agency.

The spill was caused by a broken pipe near the pump station at Harbor

Boulevard and Gisler Avenue in Costa Mesa, said Michelle Tuchman,

spokeswoman for the sanitation district.

Tuchman said the sewage backed up and spilled through storm drains into

the Greenville Banning Channel, which empties into the Santa Ana River.

For surfers enjoying a clean, 4- to 6-foot southwest swell, the spill’s

timing was particularly agonizing.

Some watched unhappily as sleek barrels broke over the sandbar. Others,

like Newport Beach resident Ken Bell, charged out into the waves, running

past yellow signs posted on the beach warning of the unhealthy

conditions.

“It figures on a day like this, they’d do it to us,” Bell said after

finishing his session. “It didn’t keep me out, though. The surf’s too

damn good.”

Lifeguards and Newport Beach police ordered surfers out of the water late

in the morning. Many were reluctant to leave despite the dubious odor and

color of the crashing waves.

Mazur said contamination from the spill was expected to clear up after

about 72 hours as a result of dilution and natural breakdown of bacteria.