New sewage spill prompts SLO County beach warning after 1,350 gallons overflow onto street

Swimmers were advised to steer clear of a stretch of San Luis Obispo County beach after more than 1,000 gallons of sewage spilled into a nearby street Wednesday morning.

According to a news release from the San Luis Obispo Public Health Department , at around 9:20 a.m. an electrical failure caused a pump failure and main line overflow at the intersection of Morro Avenue and Ocean Boulevard in Pismo Beach.

Around 1,350 gallons of sewage spilled into the street between 9:20 a.m. and 9:47 a.m., when officials managed to stop the flow.

Around 500 gallons of sewage was recovered, leaving more than 800 gallons to flow across the street and into a storm drain headed for the Pacific Ocean, according to the release.

Though the line has been repaired and cleanup was underway, beachgoers should avoid the nearest beach access point at Eldwayen Ocean Park until acceptable levels of bacteria are detected, the release said.

Notices have been posted at the Eldwayen Ocean park access point, according to the release.

For more information on beach water quality, visit the Public Health Department Beach Water Quality website at SurfSafeSLO.org or call the Ocean Water Monitoring Program Telephone Hotline at 805-788-3411 .

This is the third major sewage spill in San Luis Obispo County in recent weeks.

On June 19,about 100 gallons of sewage spilled into Pismo Creek from an overflowing manhole cover in a campground. Then on June 24, a section of Morro Bay State Beach closed after about 7,600 gallons of sewage spilled into Morro Bay Harbor.