All Coastal Beaches In Long Beach Re-Opened Friday After Health Department Test

Interim City Health Officer Dr. Mauro Tono re-opened all coastal beaches this afternoon after two consecutive test results from the Long Beach Public Health Lab showed that bacteria levels were within state requirements, following the sewage spill in Downtown Los Angeles.

Irrespective of whether or not any sewage reaches our coastline, the State of California Health and Safety Code requires the City Health Officer to close our coastal beaches whenever a significant sewage spill occurs upstream at either the Los Angeles River or the San Gabriel River.

Closures refer specifically to bodily contact with ocean water. The sand area remains open for the community to enjoy themselves, and all events scheduled on the sand occur as planned. Beach parking lots also remain open.

Colorado Lagoon, Mother’s Beach and Alamitos Bay remained open as the testing continued to show that the water in those areas was safe.

The City’s diligent and constant monitoring, along with millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements, has resulted in significant improvements to our recreational water quality, and excellent grades from Heal the Bay for the last several years.

The discharge began Monday afternoon and ended Tuesday afternoon. Crews were able to divert and capture 750,000 gallons of sewage at the scene; however, an estimated 1,750,000 gallons entered the Los Angeles River.

For the latest status on Long Beach recreational beach water quality, call the Water Hotline at 562.570.4199 or visit www.longbeach.gov/health/inspections-and-reporting/inspections/recreational-water-samples/.