Boat Pumping Station Is Sewage Spill Source

A sewage spill that closed part of the dock area at Dana Point Harbor this week was caused by a leak in a line from a pumping station for boats, authorities said Tuesday.

About 50 gallons of raw sewage spilled into the harbor, said Larry Honeybourne, program chief of the county Health Care Agency’s water quality section.

The agency received a call about 3:30 p.m. Monday from park rangers who reported the leak in the pump-out facility, used by boaters to unload waste.

Officials say one weekend boater’s discharge contains the same amount of bacteria as the treated sewage of 10,000 people.

The health agency closed about 50 yards of the dock area to swimming and diving. The closure affects N Dock and the commercial docks on the southeast side of the harbor’s east basin. Both are usually used for boat repairs.

Although the closed docks are not near any beaches or swimming areas, some people occasionally swim there, Honeybourne said.

The results of bacteria level tests taken early Tuesday will be available this afternoon. The harbor will probably stay closed for several days.

“If we would have gotten the [initial] call earlier, we would have tested [the water Monday], but our lab is not open 24 hours a day,” Honeybourne said. The delay meant that the first water samples could not be tested until Tuesday morning. “Usually you need a couple of samples that meet the standards before you can open the area.”

The broken hose that goes from the dock to the sewer system has been repaired, officials said.