A large cleanup effort is under way in Los Angeles county after an estimated 8.5m gallons of raw sewage flooded through a neighborhood in the city of Carson, closing beaches and leaving toilet paper, feces and toxic residue strewn across nearby streets and sidewalks.
The spill occurred last Thursday when a 60-year-old sewer line failed, spewing sewage from a manhole and into the Dominguez Channel, a 15-mile flood-control waterway that eventually pours into the Pacific Ocean.
The failed 48-inch sewer main was due to be replaced within the year and was probably strained after strong rainstorms pelted southern California. LA county supervisor Janice Hahn has called for a full investigation into the cause of the spill, the largest on record for the area.
“A sewage spill of this magnitude is dangerous and unacceptable, and we need to understand what happened,” Hahn said in a statement. “The recent storm undoubtedly contributed to the spill but we need infrastructure that doesn’t fail when it rains.”
City officials said Monday that beaches in nearby Long Beach will remain closed as water quality testing continues. Several beaches in Los Angeles and Orange counties were closed over the weekend after the spill and surfing, swimming and holiday events like the annual Polar Bear Swim – where locals have enjoyed a frigid New Year’s dip at Cabrillo beach for the past 70 years – had to be canceled. Hahn, who called the event a “treasured local tradition”, added that “canceling it is a terrible way to start off the year”.
The spill occurred just months after another environmental disaster affected the residents of Carson, a city that sits just north of Long Beach and south of downtown Los Angeles. The Dominguez Channel was recently plagued by an overpowering odor, described by residents as “the stench of death”, that caused headaches, respiratory problems and other health problems. Officials have attributed the odor to a warehouse fire that leeched chemicals into the 15-mile canal, killing plants and unleashing high amounts of hydrogen sulfide, also known as sewer gas.
The sewage flow has been stopped according to the Los Angeles County Sanitation District, and abnormal hydrogen sulfide levels were not detected in the area. The agency said that the affected streets and storm drains had been cleaned, and it will reimburse residents for car washes. Meanwhile, crews are still working to repair the pipe.
As of Sunday, LA County Sanitation District said plans were in place to “slip-line” the pipe, a process where a smaller 42-inch corrosion-resistant pipe is placed inside the 48-inch sewer, but that the materials wouldn’t be delivered until later in the week.
The process has been complicated by the line’s position near a freeway, which has also caused offramp closures.
This wasn’t the first time sewage spilled on to these streets of Carson. Resident Cesar Casillas told Fox11 Los Angeles it was the second spill that he and his neighbors have dealt with in five years.
“It’s something you don’t want to see ever,” Casillas said, describing the noxious smell that lingered days into the cleanup effort. “There is still toilet paper smudged into the soil,” he added. “My children can’t play out here – I don’t think it’s safe.”
