Los Angeles (AFP) – Several beaches in the Los Angeles area were shut down on Tuesday after nearly 2.5 million gallons (9.5 million liters) of sewage spilled out from a ruptured line, officials said.
The spill — described by one health official as the biggest in recent memory — began Monday afternoon, when the top of a sewer pipe collapsed, sending debris into the pipe and causing overflow.
Repair crews managed to stop the leak by evening but the pipe split again on Tuesday, sending sewage into the Los Angeles River which carried it into the Pacific.
Officials ordered all beaches in the Long Beach area and a portion of Seal Beach shut down pending testing of the waters.
Nelson Kerr, of the Long Beach city health department, told AFP that swimming in those areas was expected to be off-limits until at least Thursday.
Long Beach is home to the United States’ second-busiest port after Los Angeles.
“This is the biggest spill we’ve had in recent memory,” Kerr said, adding that the pipe that broke is thought to have been damaged during construction in the area.
He said officials fear that up to five million gallons of sewage could be released by the time the leak is fixed.
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