A 100,000-gallon sewage spill has closed Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, L.A. County officials said.
Visitors should avoid ocean water and any wet sand for at least three quarters of a mile upstream or downstream from the beach, the county public health department said in a release.
A sewage discharge from a manhole in Carson caused the closure, said L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn in an X post.
The beach will remain closed until the health department determines the water meets health standards, it said.
Beyond the spill, officials had already been urging Southern Californians to avoid going in the water off the county due to the winter storm that hit the region this week.
The storm has dumped inches of rain across the region and triggered mud and debris flows, knocked down trees and sparked several river rescues as the water rushes downhill from the mountains to the ocean.
Los Angeles firefighters deployed teams to several river-rescue incidents; one involved the rescue of a man, his dog and his cat who were in a recreational vehicle on an island in the middle of a creek, and were trapped by rising waters. The three were hoisted into a helicopter.
On Friday morning, a woman was spotted being swept away in the Tujunga Wash in Pacoima, carried by fast-moving waters. She traveled for some 10 miles, down the wash for much of the length of the San Fernando Valley and into the Los Angeles River, before she was rescued near Universal City.
The rain — and resulting urban runoff — has officials warning people to be more cautious about going into the water generally.
On Wednesday, the county issued an advisory that the rains could cause bacteria levels to rise in local ocean waters.
“Bacteria levels may remain elevated up to 3 days depending upon the intensity of the rain and the volume of runoff. Elevated bacteria levels in ocean water may cause illness, especially in children and the elderly,” the advisory warned.
The county already urged beachgoers to avoid the water until Monday morning in a previous release.
Staff writer Rong-Gong Lin II contributed to this report.
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