SEWAGE SPILLS CLOSE 2 N. COUNTY BEACHES

Swimmers advised to avoid Buccaneer and South Ponto areas

San Diego County health officials advised people to stay out of the water at Buccaneer Beach in Oceanside and South Ponto State Beach in Carlsbad because of sewage spills Wednesday.

Both spills appeared to be related to storm runoff after the coastal region of North County received more than two inches of rain in the previous 24 hours.

An overflowing wastewater tank in the 1300 block of Tait Street was blamed from the Buccaneer Beach closure. Oceanside city water officials reported the spill, estimated at 1,000 gallons, about 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The state beach closure was the result of an overflowing manhole that spilled almost 76,000 gallons near the Batiquitos Lagoon. It was reported at 7:40 a.m. Wednesday by the Vallecitos Water District, which serves the La Costa area of Carlsbad.

Water contact should be avoided between Cassidy and Crosswaithe streets in Oceanside, and for three-quarters of a mile north and south of the Batiquitos

Lagoon outlet in Carlsbad until samples show contact is safe, county officials said. Untreated sewage in the water in those areas can cause illnesses.

The county Department of Environmental Health and Quality also issued a general rain advisory for all coastal beaches and bays because of the rainfall. Storm runoff carries hazardous bacteria into the ocean, especially near storm drains, creeks and rivers. Water contact should be avoided for 72 hours after any significant rain.

An advisory also was in effect for the Children’s Pool in La Jolla and Campland San Diego and Crown Cove in Coronado, where bacteria levels have exceeded state health standards.

The ocean shoreline from Coronado south to the international border, including the Tijuana Slough, Imperial Beach, Silver Strand, are closed as a result of ongoing contamination from sewage in the Tijuana River and will remain closed until samples show the water is safe.

In mid-January warning signs were posted along six miles of San Diego coastline after a malfunction at a wastewater pumping station spilled 500,000 gallons of raw sewage into San Diego Bay.