17M gallons of raw sewage forces the closure of a 4-mile stretch of beaches in Southern California following mechanical fault at a 127-year-old water treatment facility
- The controlled, eight-hour discharge followed a debris backup that triggered an emergency relief system
- The 17M gallons spilled represent only 6 percent of the plant's daily load
- Beachgoers were warned to avoid nearby waters until samples came back negative for 'elevated bacteria'
- Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant has been the site of sewage discharge in LA County since the late 19th century
A four-mile stretch of California beaches is closed to swimmers after a mechanical failure at a sewage plant triggered a discharge of 17 million gallons of waste.
The Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant, Los Angeles' largest wastewater facility, became flooded with 'overwhelming quantities of debris' Sunday afternoon, according to a statement by LA Sanitation & Environment.
The backup kicked off an emergency system that released untreated sewage into Santa Monica Bay through a one-mile outfall over a period of eight hours.
Dockweiler Beach is one of the recreational areas affected by Sunday's sewage spill
Beachgoers were told to avoid the areas until water samples came back negative for 'elevated bacteria.' Above, a volleyball tournament in 2014 at El Segundo Beach
The sewage was discharged over an eight-hour span into Santa Monica Bay. Santa Monica Beach, above, was not affected, according to city officials
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State officials say residents were spared an even greater disaster.
The outflow, which makes up only 6 percent of the plant's daily amount of sewage, prevented the plant from 'going completely offline and discharging much more raw sewage.'
The cause of the backup remains unknown.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn initially attributed the spill to a power outage
Water samples are being tested and the beaches will remain closed until the water comes back negative for 'elevated bacteria,' according to the LA County Department of Public Health.
Affected swimming areas include El Segundo Beach, Grand Avenue Storm Drain and Dockweiler State beaches at Water Way and Hyperion Plant.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn attributed the spill to a power outage at the plant in a tweet Monday night, but later amended her advisory to blame the mechanical failure.
Some blamed state officials and plant operators for the spill, though later evidence showed it was caused by unknown debris that caused a backup
Some took to Twitter to ask what beaches were safe to swim in.
'Is it safe to swim in Malibu?' one person asked.
Others blamed city officials for the spill.
'Unacceptable!' one user chimed in. 'California is suppose to be the model for the environment. Instead we can't even keep the power on for our critical infrastructures.'
The city has been discharging sewage at the Hyperion plant location since 1894, two years after it bought 200 acres of beachfront property in the area.
The first treatment facility at the site began operating in 1925.
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