By Daily Press Staff
WILL ROGERS BEACH Swimmers can wade back into the water today with county health officials reopening a one-mile stretch of the Santa Monica Bay following a sewage spill last Friday.
“The beaches are open,” said Eric Edwards, acting chief of environmental health for the county. “Bacteria levels were found to be well below state standards.”
A spill in the Santa Monica Canyon Creek affected portions of Will Rogers and Santa Monica beaches, forcing health officials to post signs warning swimmers to stay out of the water a half-mile on both sides of the spill.
Officials said about 10,000 gallons of raw sewage linked into the creek following the rupture of a sewer pipe.
Swimmers who come in contact with fecal bacteria have a higher probability of contracting illnesses such as stomach flu, ear infections, upper respiratory infections and skin rashes.
Will Rogers State Beach has received poor marks for water quality in the past from environmental watchdog Heal the Bay, which rated the beach as one of the 10 “bummers” in the state. Much of that had to do with the fact that a storm drain is located in close proximity to the beach.
Information on Los Angeles County beach conditions is available by calling the Department of Public Health hotline at (800) 525-5662 or online at www.lapublichealth.org/eh.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 23, 2007. Read the original PDF.