Jack Wolfsohn | News Editor
March 1, 2022
In the last month, there have been two sewage spills in Orange County, one in Long Beach and another in Newport Bay just a few days ago. Fortunately, the most recent spill was between 35,000 and 50,000 gallons, which is still a massive amount of sewage in the ocean, but nothing compared to the 8.5 million gallons spilled in Long Beach.
Previously, the Long Beach spill caused all beaches south of Sunset Beach in Huntington Beach to be closed or receive a water warning due to high bacteria levels in the water. San Clemente beaches didn’t close, but officials did put out a water warning.
Long Beach is relatively far from SC, so it makes sense that city beaches weren’t hit hard, but with tens of thousands of gallons of sewage spilled in Newport Bay, the potential for damage is greater. Newport Bay is half the distance from Long Beach
“How hard is it to contain sewage spills? Seems too difficult to do in a single week,” junior Ryan Savoie said. “50,000 gallons sounds challenging to contain in a few days, and 8.5 million gallons seems impossible to contain in a month. Are the current beaches even safe?”
In the first few days of March, the beaches were safe as no life guards were stopping people from swimming and the latest spill in Newport Bay was reportedly stopped at 8th Street in Newport. The affected area isn’t very large, but the currents threaten to affect nearby shores with bacteria.
This time, a blockage in the sewer line caused the spill, but it was largely contained in the Newport Bay area. The Long Beach spill was not contained as quickly, which is what caused so many issues down the coast.
“I think I’ll wait a while to go back to the beach,” junior Christian McCleary said. “It’s still winter anyway.”
It’s for the best to stay away from beaches near Newport Bay until the bacteria levels fall.
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