Water Board Approves $1.5M Settlement In Laguna Beach Sewage Spill

LAGUNA BEACH (CBSLA) - San Diego Water Quality Control Board officials Wednesday approved a $1.5 million penalty for the city of Laguna Beach stemming from a 1.7-million gallon raw sewage spill into Aliso Creek and the ocean shoreline two years ago.

City officials have agreed to pay $785,780 in fines in addition to contributing $748,278 over the next three years to a project designed to prevent similar spills.

"It's encouraging to see these funds applied to wastewater infrastructure improvements," said Chiara Clemente, the water board's enforcement coordinator.

The spill happened during a stormy Thanksgiving weekend in 2019 when a relief valve ruptured, allowing wastewater to flow for three days into the creek and ocean at the Laguna Beach State Marine Conservation Area.