Sewage Shuts Two Beach Areas

Two sewage spills Monday closed beach areas to water sports.

The areas affected are Doheny State Beach near San Juan Creek and the water near the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club in Newport Bay.

The Orange County Environmental Health Division said these areas would be closed to swimming, diving and surfing until further notice. They will probably be reopened within three days, depending on test results.

In both areas, sewer lines became clogged; it is possible that regular maintenance could have prevented the spills, said Monica Mazur, Orange County supervising environmental health specialist.

In the case of the Newport Bay spill, sewage built up in the pipes and spewed into the lobby of a medical building on Avocado Street in Fashion Island.

Mazur said it was difficult to say whether 2001 would bring more sewage spills than in previous years. In 2000, there were 40 spills. There have been 13 this year, she said.

“These aren’t big, giant, catastrophic spills. They are blockages, and maintenance can prevent it,” she said.

Mazur said the water in the closed areas has been tested. Once the bacteria level has dropped, the areas will be reopened.