Pipe Rupture Sends 2.4 Million Gallons of Sewage into LA River

Los Angeles, CA -- A ruptured pipe near downtown Los Angeles has sent millions of gallons of sewage into the Los Angeles River and cascading to the Long Beach coastline.

As of this afternoon, an estimated 2.4 million gallons had spilled from the pipe, according to the Los Angeles Department of Public Works, but officials said the sewage was continuing to flow while emergency repairs were being conducted.

Adel Hagekhalil, assistant director of city sanitation, said about 750,000 gallons of spilled sewage had been recaptured, and officials were still working to determine exactly how much had spilled.

According to public works officials, the top of a sewer pipe collapsed at about 2 p.m. Monday at Sixth Street and Mission Road. Debris from the collapse fell into the pipe, causing the overflow.

Dr. Mauro Torno, acting health officer for the city of Long Beach, ordered the beach closure, saying the ocean water will be off limits until testing shows the water is safe. Beaches in Seal Beach were closed from the San Gabriel River Mouth to Anaheim Bay, according to the county Health Care Agency.

Meanwhile, repair crews in Los Angeles continued work to expedite repairs, saying they were performing work that normally takes two weeks, and hoped to have it completed within 24 hours. Crews were installing a pair of 18- inch-diameter pipes along with pumps as a bypass system.

"We're confident that by this afternoon we should have everything contained," Hagekhalil said.

"This is an old sewer, an aging sewer that was planned to be repaired," he said. "... This one, we had a plan and it did not wait for us, it collapsed. Our record is very good in the city of Los Angeles. ... We spent over $2 billion in the last 10 years in (upgrading) our sewers."

He said there are about 6,700 miles of sewer lines across the city, and "we haven't had a major collapse for a long, long time."

City News Service