Several beaches in Monterey County of California are currently closed following a sewage spill of roughly 4.9 million gal. At least eight beaches were affected by the spill, while more may potentially be closed.
The origin of the spill came from the Monterey One Water wastewater treatment facility in Monterey, Calif., on Jan. 20, 2018. The spill occurred due to a failed bar screen, a mechanism involved in the sewage filtration process.
The Environmental Health Bureau began sampling water from the closed beach sites the morning following the spill, which will remain closed until samples achieve standards for human contact adherent to state guidelines.
The eight beaches currently closed include Carmel Beach, Monterey Municipal Beach, Lover’s Point, the Beach at Monterey State Beach, San Carlos Beach, the beach at Sunset Drive in Asilomar, the beach at Spanish Bay and Stillwater Cove.
Coming into contact with the tainted water could potentially cause gastroenteritis and other water borne illnesses.
