Politics & Government
LB Sewage Spill Was Actually From Highland Park
South Pas public works officials say Long Beach inaccurately blamed the city for the 5,500 gallon sewage spill Saturday. It originated in the Highland Park area of Northeast L.A.
A report filed with the California Emergency Management Agency states that a sewage spill on Saturday that closed two miles of ocean water in Long Beach originated in Highland Park, not South Pasadena.
Long Beach officials reported on Monday that about two miles of ocean waters were closed due to a raw sewage spill of more than 5,550 gallons in South Pasadena, that reached Long Beach via the Los Angeles River. (Patch will seek further city comment on how long the beaches will remain closed to the public).
South Pas officials Tuesday said the spill was not in their sewer system, and other officials confirmed it came from the Highland Park neighborhood of northeast L.A.
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"A report filed with Cal EMA states that the spill happened in the City of L.A. and the responsible agency was L.A. County Sanitation District facilities," said Deputy Public Works Director Shin Furukawa.
Don Avila, a spokesman for the L.A. County Sanitation Districts, said that the spill had not originated in their system, rather in L.A. City's.
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"People often confuse us for a county agency, which we are not," Avila said. "We're a consortium of local districts, and one of the major areas that we don't cover is Los Angeles, because they have their own system. That spill is L.A. City's, not ours."
Cora Jackson-Fossett, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, confirmed that the spill originated in the city's system in Highland Park.
Jackson said that the spill occurred when a 12-inch sewer line ruptured due to a blockage caused by debris.
Some 5,572 gallons of sewage escaped the sewer line, Jackon-Fossett said, with much of it making its way into a nearby tributary of the Los Angeles River, which terminates at the port of Long Beach.
"We heard about the spill at 10 a.m. and sent out a crew immediately," Jackson said. "It was repaired by 11:45 a.m."
The attached report places the spill's origin at 343 S. Ave. 63 in Highland Park.
"[South Pasadena] City’s field staff did not report anything," added South Pas Public Works Director Paul Toor via email.