Sewage Spill Closes Stretch of Doheny State Beach

A sewage spill has forced the closure of half a mile of Doheny State Beach, Orange County Health Care Agency officials said Tuesday.

Debris blocked a Moulton Niguel Water District line, causing thousands of gallons of raw sewage to seep out of a manhole in Mission Viejo about 5 p.m. Monday, said Larry Honeybourne, program chief of the agency’s water quality section.

The sewage drained into Oso Creek, passed through a golf course and flowed into San Juan Creek and then onto the state beach, which is an unincorporated strip within Dana Point, he said.

The exact amount of the leak is unknown.

“I wouldn’t consider it huge. But because raw sewage . . . is flowing to the beach, we have to make sure people stay out of the water,” Honeybourne said.

The beach surrounding the mouth of San Juan Creek will be closed until at least Friday, said Monica Mazur, a Health Care Agency spokeswoman.

This is the first beach closure at Doheny this year, Honeybourne said. Last year, the beach was closed three times because of sewage spills.

The stretch of shore has had a long-term posting warning swimmers to avoid the water because of regular high bacteria levels caused by urban runoff and droppings from thousands of migratory birds.