Nearly 950,000 liters of contaminated water leaked from Downey to Long Beach and into the Los Angeles River on April 20 in Los Angeles County, California, threatening the water downstream. The city of Long Beach has announced the temporary closure of all open public beaches following the incident.
According to US media reports, the leak was caused by a malfunction in equipment used by maintenance workers. Long Beach City health officials say raw sewage contains a variety of pathogens, including bacteria, viruses and parasites, that can be ingested and cause illness. Other residents reported a "horrible" smell on the freeway near the Los Angeles River. The city's health department is monitoring the water quality in Long Beach, where sanitation crews completed the first round of cleanup on Tuesday.
The city of Long Beach has announced the temporary closure of all open public beaches and the erection of pollution warning signs. It said beaches were likely to remain closed until Wednesday. But as the warning signs were so small, many people did not even notice them, wading or even swimming in the polluted water, according to US media reports. The South Bank is a hot spot for motorboaters, many of whom take to the water without even knowing it.