Los Angeles beaches closed as up to four million gallons of untreated sewage spills across seven miles

City of Long Beach/Twitter

Beaches in southern Los Angeles County were closed on New Year’s Eve after millions of gallons of untreated sewage leaked into a waterway.

Officials from the City of Long Beach said a sewer main failure on Thursday resulted in between two and four million gallons (7.5 to 15 million litres) discharged into the Dominguez Channel, a waterway that flows into Los Angeles Harbour.

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The sewage spill occurred in the city of Carson and was caused by sewer main line failure, a City of Long Beach statement said.

An inspection team will monitor the beaches and they will remain closed “out of an abundance of caution” until water quality complies with California water quality standards, the City of Long Beach statement said.

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The affected beaches include Cabrillo Beach, Point Fermin Beach, White Point Park Beach, Royal Palm State Beach and Rancho Palos Verdes Beach.

The latest information on beach conditions is available at publichealth.lacounty.gov/beach.