A significant sewage spill occurred on Jan. 10, leading to beach closures from Table Rock Beach to North Treasure Island Beach. The spill originated near Laguna Niguel Regional Park involving Moulton Niguel Water District’s failed high-pressure sewage pipeline, which discharged 465,000 gallons of sewage into Sulphur Creek Reservoir and subsequently Aliso Creek.
The spill was first reported around 9:45 a.m. and was contained by 1:30 p.m. that same day. A temporary dam was created at the Arizona crossing, and the sewage flow was redirected to a coastal treatment plant. South Orange County wastewater agencies, including South Orange County Wastewater Authority (SOCWA), responded on a united front due to the spill’s severity and ocean impacts downstream. The city of Laguna Beach, Emerald Bay Service District and SOCWA diverted sewage from entering Aliso Creek.
“Unfortunately, at this point, even though we have kept the berm intact and built up some sand. We did get a call from Orange County Health stating that there is going to be an ocean closure from Table Rock Beach all the way to North Treasure Island Beach,” said Kai Bond, Laguna Beach Marine Safety Chief during Tuesday’s City Council meeting. “So, there’s a closure that was initiated this evening for that area. And what we’ll do is we’ll continue to monitor the area”
Moulton Niguel Water District worked quickly with local authorities to contain the spill and pumping operations with 15 minutes of the reported incident. On January 11, Moulton Niguel and SOCWA began environmental monitoring and biological assessments of the area by testing 12 sites along the creek to evaluate the spill’s impact. Despite swift mitigation, the Orange County Health Department ordered an ocean closure to prevent public health risks…