Sewage spill closes bay water near Aloha Drive bridge in Newport Beach

A portion of the waters closed Sunday in Lower Newport Bay by the Orange County Health Care Agency’s environmental health division following a 526-gallon sewage spill has since reopened.

The closure was in the area of the Aloha Drive bridge, which is tucked inside of the Linda Isle gated community. On Monday, paddlers could still be seen traversing the affected waters.

Boats remained steady at their moors, and a few people were spotted walking nearby, but none were seen active in the water. The closed-off waters Monday, at the bay’s northernmost point, extended roughly to SOL Mexican Cocina, and down toward the point where Bayside Drive meets Harbor Island Road, according to a map reference from the county agency.

That closure has since been reduced to 500 feet up the coast to the bridge at Aloha Drive, and water is being resampled in the affected area, according to an email Wednesday from the county’s environmental health division.

The Orange County Health Care Agency closed off a section of bay waters due to a sewage spill over the weekend in Newport Beach.

(Courtesy of the Orange County Health Care Agency)

The closure affected swimming activities but not other ocean sports such as kayaking or boating, which involve vessels and do not involve direct human contact with the water. No distinct signage appeared to be immediately visible in the surrounding area Monday morning.

According to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, the incident occurred at 12:24 p.m. Sunday when a Duffy boat struck a 4-inch sewer line underneath the bridge when it attempted to clear the waters with the tide, according to city officials.

Newport Beach City Hall spokesman John Pope said the city began its response at just before 1 p.m. Crews shut off the pump and switched to a second sewer line by approximately 12:36 p.m.

The report by CalOES, updated on Monday, amended what was initially reported as a 140-gallon spillage to the current known 526-gallon spill.

County health officer Regina Chinsio-Kwong said in an email that there is no method to contain or clean up the sewage once it hits the bay, but the number of bacteria naturally decreases over time due to exposure to sunlight, saltwater, age or predation by other organisms. The bacteria may also simply dilute in concentration.

“Polluted runoff and untreated sewage released into bathing waters may result in swimmer exposure to pathogenic bacteria, viruses and protozoans. These disease-causing organisms may be present at or near the site where the polluted discharge enters the water,” Chinsio-Kwong said.

Pope confirmed the sewer line was repaired Tuesday morning.

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services said a rental boat struck a sewer line, leading to a 526-gallon raw sewage leak on Sunday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)