MAY 18, 2015
PACIFIC GROVE, CALIFORNIA
More than 100,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled at Lovers
Point in Pacific Grove Monday and sewage flowed into the ocean for six hours.
Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control
Agency workers were doing maintenance repairs at a pump station on Ocean
View Boulevard at Lovers Point when a plug valve failed at 10:30 a.m.,
Monterey Deputy Fire Marshal David Reade said.
This caused the station to flood and fill with sewage. Power
was quickly shutoff to prevent an electrocution hazard, Reade said, but crews
failed to stop 100,000 gallons of raw sewage from discharging into the Monterey
Bay.
Reverse emergency calls were made to residents in the area
urging against flushing toilets and using water.
Crews fixed the valve at 5:30 p.m. They had hoped to fix it
before residents returned home from work, when water use spikes.
Scott Kathey, emergency response coordinator for the
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, said cleaning sewage out of the ocean
is impossible.
"From an environmental standpoint, there is nothing we
can do mechanically to recover it from the ocean. There is no method for
cleaning other than let the ocean assimilate it, allow sunlight to breakdown
bacteria," Kathey said.
"On land you can treat it with bleach and vacuum it up.
You can't do that in an aquatic environment," he said.
When asked what environmental impact may occur, Kathey
said, "It's hard to say. Obviously the plume is going to spread. Any kind
of effects would be long-term."
Marine animals could develop bacterial infections from
coming into contact with the sewage, he said. Luckily, there were no sea otters
or seals nearby at the time of the spill.
The recreational trail was closed to the public from the
Monterey Bay Aquarium to Point Pinos. Lovers Point Beach was also closed, as
well as all beaches one mile to the north and one mile to the south of
it.