Sewage Spill Forces Closure Of Popular Monterey County Beaches
MONTEREY (CBS SF) -- Several popular Monterey County beaches were closed Sunday after as much as 4.9 million gallons of sewage spilled into Monterey Bay from a wastewater treatment plant before it was stopped.
Monterey County officials said the spill from a wastewater treatment facility in Marina due to equipment failure was finally stopped at 4:30 a.m. Saturday.
Closed were Carmel Beach at Ocean Avenue, Monterey's Municipal Beach, Lovers Point Park, the beach at Monterey State Beach, San Carlos Beach, the beach at Sunset Drive at Asilomar, the beach at Spanish Bay and Stillwater Cove.
If it rains in Monterey County, a rain advisory will be in effect for all Monterey County beaches to tell residents and visitors to avoid having contact with ocean water for at least three days after the last rain.
County officials said beaches will remain closed until lab results show that the water is safe again according to state guidelines.
Contact with contaminated water may cause water-borne illnesses such as gastroenteritis.
For more information on Monterey Peninsula beaches, residents and visitors can call (800) 347-6363 or visit www.mtyhd.org/beaches.