Workers Keep Raw Sewage Spill From Harbor

About 200 gallons of raw sewage bubbled out of a clogged sewer pipe, onto the pavement and down a storm drain near Ventura Harbor on Thursday afternoon, officials said.

However, none of the effluent reached the ocean. City officials quickly turned off the water to nearby businesses and homes, which stopped the sewage from being flushed into the harbor.

“We are convinced that it was all contained,” said Bob Gallagher, community services manager of the county Environmental Health Division.

The spill occurred about 2 p.m. at 1591 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura Harbor Village, said Ventura firefighter Jack Hansen.

Several businesses and two restaurants, the Spinnaker Seafood Broiler and The Greek At The Harbor, were closed until 5:30 p.m. while workers from Ventura-based Ecology Control Industries cleaned up the spill, Gallagher said.

The crew vacuumed out sewage that had drained into a concrete vault, Gallagher said. Crews were still investigating the cause of the clog Thursday night.

The spill was unrelated to a 2,000-gallon sewage leak almost two weeks ago that closed a one-long stretch of San Buenaventura State Beach, officials said. That spill was caused by a broken sewage pipe that dumped raw waste into a stream bed that leads to the beach.