California beaches close after more than 1 million gallons of sewage spill into water

Two Santa Barbara County beaches are still closed after hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewage spilled into waterways following a recent rainstorm.

Beach closure notices for Miramar and Goleta beaches were issued since those areas were impacted by two separate spills.

Specifically, beach closure notices for “Goleta Beach from 1-mile east to ½-mile west of the Goleta Slough outfall” and Miramar Beach “from ¼-mile east to 1/8-mile west of the Oak Creek outfall” have been issued to the public, according to a news release.

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The Goleta Beach closure was due to a sewage spill that came from a “damaged force main sewer line near the Santa Barbara Airport to the Goleta Slough.” The spill is currently under investigation, according to a news release from the Santa Barbara County Health Department.

Officials initially believed that about 500,000 gallons of sewage spilled from the damaged sewer line, but that number was later revised to 1.025 million gallons.

A separate sewage spill of 2,500 gallons forced the closure of Miramar Beach. That sewage spill came from a “sewer manhole to Oak Creek, near Sinaloa Drive in Montecito,” a news release said.

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“Santa Barbara County Environmental Health Services is presently conducting ocean water sampling at both locations (most recently on Feb. 26) to confirm if water quality is meeting state health standards for bacteria following the sewage spills,” Lars Seifert, the department’s Environmental Health Services director, told KTLA.

Currently, there is no estimated timeline for when the beaches will reopen.

People are advised to avoid all contact with the water at both locations until tests deem it safe for recreational use.

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