Sewage Spill Reporting - Protecting Our Beaches

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

The Ocean Monitoring Unit, a sub-section of the Recreational Waters Program, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, monitors ocean water quality for bacteriological compliance with the standards set forth in the California Health and Safety Code. This Unit reviews the ocean water sampling test results and takes appropriate action when the maximum allowable bacterial levels have been exceeded. Signage is posted at the applicable beach locations where these exceedences have occurred, warning beach users of the health risks associated with swimming in contaminated waters. To enhance the public safety of beach goers in Los Angeles County, there was an increasing need to review the current mandatory reporting of sewage spill out-flows. Many of these SSO’s previously went unreported and undocumented as to their effect on the receiving waters where sewage discharges occurred. To enable advanced notification of sewer discharges prior to when they directly affected the receiving waters at Los Angeles County Beaches, a Task Force of stake-holders was convened. The Task Force discussed notification and spill procedures and developed a spill response plan to react to sewer spills across Los Angeles County.