Officials had earlier estimated that about 100,000 gallons of sewage were released into the L.A. River and were emptying into the ocean 22 miles away in Long Beach, where the river terminates. If the samples show contamination in the ocean, the beaches will remain closed and officials will continually test until they get two consecutive days of clean samples.
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Stinky sludge belched on to the streets and forced the closure of Long Beach and Seal Beach while health officials tested the waters for bacteria.
Meanwhile, fix crews in Los Angeles continued work to expedite repairs, saying they were performing work that normally takes two weeks, and hoped to have it completed within 24 hours.
Adel Hagekhalil, assistant director of city sanitation, said about 750,000 gallons of spilled sewage had been recaptured, and officials were still working to determine exactly how much had spilled.
The leak was finally stopped at 10 p.m., but crews remained at the site to fix the cracked pipe, said Adel Hagekhalil, assistant director of Los Angeles Sanitation.
Warning signs and flags were up and lifeguards shooed way some visitors.
The collapse sent debris into the sewer into the sewer pipe which then clogged it, causing an overflow of sewage.
Nelson Kerr, of the Long Beach city health department, told AFP that swimming in those areas was expected to be off-limits until at least Thursday.
“Nobody went out”, owner Michael Pless said. “It just did not wait for us”, Hagekhalil said. I have people from England, Sweden.
All non-coastal bay beaches are open, including Colorado Lagoon, according to the City of Long Beach Water Hotline.
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The cause of the collapse wasn’t clear.
