LOS ANGELES – AUGUST 09: Warning signs keep bathers out of the water at the south end of Venice Beach on August 9, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. The closure of a two-mile stretch of beach near Ballona Creek, after a pumping station failure sent between 20,000 and 30,000 gallons of raw sewage into the ocean, is a common problem on many Los Angeles and Orange County beaches. According to a recently released study by the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) and Stanford University researches, pollution on Southern California beaches affects 1.5 million people each year. Reportedly, between 627,800 and 1,479,200 “excess” cases of gastrointestinal illness, generally associated with swimming in contaminated water, inflicts symptoms like stomach cramps, diarrhea and nausea. Healthcare costs for illnesses related to beach bacteria run from approximate $21 million to $414 millions a year. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
A water contact closure for the Imperial Beach and Tijuana Slough shorelines in San Diego County due to sewage-contaminated water has been lifted after testing confirmed the water in the ocean is safe to use for recreation.
The San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality (DEHQ) lifted the water contact closure Tuesday evening; the existing water contact closure impacting the Tijuana Slough shoreline had been extended by county officials earlier this week to include the IB shoreline “due to ocean currents moving north into the United States.”
The county said the lifting of the water contact closure impacts the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Border Field State Park, and beaches from the International Border through Carnation Avenue.
"Recent water quality testing has confirmed that the ocean water is safe for recreational use following recent sewage impacts," the DEHQ said.
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The county said anyone seeking information on the Tijuana River can call the U.S. International Boundary & Water Commission at (619) 662-7600.
Updates on beach closures in San Diego County can be found on this website or by calling the county’s hotline at (619) 338-2073.
The DEHQ closed the San Diego Tijuana Slough shoreline in southern San Diego County in late June due to sewage-contaminated runoff from the Tijuana River, which enters San Diego County from Mexico and flows through the southernmost part of the county before it empties into the Pacific Ocean. That closure spanned the ocean shoreline at Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge and Border Field State Park.
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When a water contact closure is in effect, signs are posted along impacted shorelines warning beachgoers that it is not safe to get into the water.
