5,000-gallon sewage spill closes parts of Huntington Harbour

Parts of Huntington Harbour are closed to swimming and diving after about 5,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into the water, the Orange County Health Care Agency said Tuesday.

The spill prompted closure of the water between the end of Coral Cay Lane and Park Avenue Beach. The harbor area around Coral Cay Lane and 11th Street also is closed, according to Anthony Martinez, water-quality program manager for the OC Health Care Agency.

The spill occurred when a feminine hygiene product blocked a private sewer line at a condominium complex on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, Martinez said.

The incident was reported to the health agency at about 4:30 p.m. Monday but is believed to have begun Sunday night.

“It reportedly was a slow leak that made its way into a storm drain and out into the harbor,” Martinez said.

The earliest the area could reopen is Thursday, after testing of the bacteria levels in the water.

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