UPDATE: Lovers Point beach advisory lifted after raw sewage spill
UPDATE 5/21/2015 3:54 p.m.: The Monterey Regional Water Quality Control Agency said the beach advisory at Lover’s Point has been lifted. This comes after Monterey County Enviromental Health determined the water is safe for humans after testing bacteria levels in the water.
The Agency said the beach closed from Monday to Wednesday and a final estimate showed about 220,000 gallons of raw sewage leaked into the Monterey Bay on Monday.
UPDATE 5/19/2015: Nearly a quarter of a million gallons of raw sewage dumped into the Monterey Bay and onto Pacific Grove streets Monday morning, according to county clean-up crews.
The Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency said a pump station at Ocean View Boulevard and 15th Street, near the recreation trail, had mechanical problems.
The agency said a contractor working at the station conducted a bypass pumping of wastewater and a valve didn’t seal properly.
The agency said it had two options in handling the issue. One, it could allow the wastewater to fill up the pump station and destroy all of the electrical components, resulting in extended outage or two, control the discharge through a pipe and allow the wastewater to be released to the ocean. The second option was chosen, the agency said.
The agency said it notified the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Monterey County Environmental Health Department and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
PREVIOUS STORY: A large sewage spill in Pacific Grove spewed tens of thousands of gallons of raw sewage into Monterey Bay Monday morning. The leak was fixed just before 5:30 p.m. Monday, but the area’s most popular beach, Lover’s Point, remains closed.
It’s a situation that disappoints many local business owners and employees.
“It’s a tough situation for us because we want them to be able to enjoy themselves and now they’re not able to fully,” saidGosbyHouse Innemployee Caleb Baker.
Paul Sciuto with the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agencysaid the leak occurred when”one of the valves didn’t seep properly, meaning it didn’t close, and the waste water that generally is pumped to the north of the treatment plant, was flowing back into the pump station and was flooding that pump station.”
Lab workers willtest the water, but Sciuto said the best way to get rid of the bacteria in the water is to let the ocean naturally digest it.
It’s unclear when the beach will reopen. That’s bad news for local businesses entering the busy tourist season.
“People come here expecting to, you know, look at the beaches, go down there and enjoy themselves, and it’s a shame that they’re not able to, especially considering it’s their vacation,” said Baker.
