Officials closed Goleta Beach Wednesday after 2,500 gallons of untreated sewage spilled into a creek in the area between Goleta and Santa Barbara.
According to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, the spill occurred at the intersection of Nogal and Nueces drives near Vieja Valley Elementary School, sending the sewage into Cieneguitas Creek, which normally flows to the Goleta Slough, which terminates at Goleta Beach.
Steve Wagner, general manager of the Goleta Sanitary District, said a rain stopper had partially plugged up a sewer line and caused the backed-up sewage to overflow a manhole and into the creek, which was not flowing at the time.
He noted that he didn’t expect the beach to be affected because he didn’t expect any sewage to make it down the creek, where the only water at the time had formed into still ponds.
In a statement, the Goleta Sanitary District said the line was back in service Wednesday and that cleanup efforts were done by 5 p.m.
“District crews captured the wastewater in the creek and pumped it back into the district’s system sewer,” the GSD said. “No wastewater left the affected area of the creek. … The affected area was disinfected and restored to pre-spill conditions.”
Public Health officials still asked beachgoers Wednesday morning to avoid swimming or touching the water within a quarter mile of where the Goleta Slough meets the ocean, just east of the pier.
Susan Klein-Rothschild, deputy director of the Public Health Department, said bacteria levels in the waters are currently being tested. People should hold off contact with the water, she said, until they show safe levels.
Test results are expected Thursday. Wagner said he expected the beach to re-open Thursday or Friday.
“The presence of contaminants in water can lead to adverse health effects, including gastrointestinal illness, reproductive problems, and neurological disorders,” the Public Health Department said in a statement.
“Infants, young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people whose immune systems are compromised because of AIDS, chemotherapy, or transplant medications, may be especially susceptible to illness from some contaminants.”
Folks are also asked to avoid harvesting shellfish in the area for 10 days, as they’re bottom feeders that are more susceptible to contamination.
— Noozhawk staff writer Sam Goldman can be reached at sgoldman@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.