The epoch times

LA beaches remain open despite ocean contamination following storm.

A Day After Tropical Storm Hilary, Sewage Contamination Raises⁤ Concerns in ‌Southern California

A day after Tropical Storm Hilary brought heavy rainfall and widespread flooding in Southern California on August‍ 20, a⁢ new concern arose for some coastal communities. Sewage was seen flushed out on​ Los Angeles area beaches⁣ and‍ into the ⁣Pacific Ocean.

According⁢ to Soledad Ursúa, ⁢a member of the Venice Neighborhood Council, hundreds of people were at Venice Beach on August 21, many with children playing steps⁢ away from sewage on the beach.

“There’s human feces, there’s needles, there’s crack pipes,‍ and there’s drug paraphernalia,” she told The Epoch Times. “The Santa Monica Bay is a gigantic toilet for L.A. County right now.”

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Typically, urban sewage is treated and recycled for irrigation, including for golf‌ courses and parks. But ⁤during ​heavy rainstorms, trash is washed up into storm drains,‍ which lead directly to the ocean without any filtering.

The Los ⁣Angeles‌ County Department of Public Health issued an ocean water quality advisory on Sunday as‌ a result⁣ of high bacterial levels, asking residents to avoid swimming, surfing, and playing in nearly a dozen⁣ spots, including Venice ⁢Beach and Santa Monica Pier, until⁣ August 24.

However, the agency ​did not close any beaches⁤ due to ‌water contamination, and​ no testing of waters has⁣ been⁣ done at this point, according to Peter⁤ Gutierrez, ⁤a spokesperson for ⁤L.A. Public Health.

Further down south, the California State Parks ⁢department declared the temporary shutdown of all state ⁢parks ‌and beaches in San Diego and Orange counties ⁤on‌ August‌ 19 as a result⁣ of the tropical storm. All beaches reopened on Tuesday.

Sewage water ponding near a ‍storm drain, a‌ day⁤ after Tropical Storm ⁤Hilary made landfall in Southern California, at Venice Beach in‌ Santa ‍Monica, Calif., on Aug. 21, 2023. (Courtesy of‍ Soledad Ursúa)

In videos and⁣ images provided ‌by Ms. Ursúa, brown-colored sewage water can be ​seen pouring out of storm drains and flowing into the​ ocean ‍at⁤ Venice Beach, ⁤with⁤ various trash visible on the beach—only feet⁤ away from beachgoers.

The trash, she ⁢said, is largely coming from the‍ city’s homeless encampments. She added that with increased drug use among the homeless, ⁤the now flushed-out sewage can also ⁢be highly toxic, posing‌ a health hazard to people ⁣and animals.

“With these huge rains, even ⁤if there’s an encampment⁣ 30 miles away, all of the⁣ debris goes ‌into the storm ⁢drains and comes right out onto the beach—untreated,” she said. “It can cause significant ⁢illness, especially in young children,​ and I saw so many young children [recently].‌ It is horrifying.”

Additionally,‍ Mrs. Ursúa said that ​more ‌families ​with children​ were possibly at the beach after the ‌storm, as all schools in the ‌Los Angeles Unified School District were⁢ closed on Monday for damage assessment.

Barry Coe, who formerly owned a recreational⁤ vehicles business, said in a recent interview on EpochTV’s “California Insider” that a large number of RVs used by ⁤the​ homeless ‌population in the county are contributing to this toxic sewage.

“Nine thousand gallons ⁢ [of sewage] a ⁤month are ⁤going into the wastewater system,” Mr. ⁤Coe said, regarding the monthly wastewater of just ‌the 600 RVs ‌being used by homeless persons in the ⁤Harbor Gateway neighborhood—located in the far southern part of Los Angeles—where‌ he lives.

More than 9,280 homeless people​ live in about 6,800 RVs‍ in Los Angeles‍ County, ⁢according to the 2023 point-in-time ‌count released ⁣last month⁢ by the Los Angeles ‍Homeless‍ Services Authority.

According to Mr. ⁤Ursúa, warning signs were very limited ⁤in the beach area she visited, and many⁤ residents likely ⁢weren’t aware ⁤of the sewage⁣ contamination.



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