Spill closes channel near City Hall...

Spill closes channel near City Hall

The Orange County Health Care Agency ordered the closure of a

small waterway near Newport Beach’s City Hall on Thursday evening.

The agency announced the closure of the 33rd Street Channel, which

abuts Via Lido Plaza, the retail center across from City Hall.

A blocked sewage line in the parking lot of that plaza caused

about 1,150 gallons of raw sewage to burble up through a manhole

cover and flow into Newport Harbor at about 3:45 p.m. Thursday.

City crews quickly mopped up about 150 gallons of the waste, but

1,000 gallons seeped into the harbor, agency spokeswoman Monica Mazur

said.

The line that became blocked is suspected to belong to Vons

Pavilion in the center, Mazur said.

The agency closed the channel, which runs from 33rd to 37th

Street, to swimming and diving. The waterway will remain closed until

bacteria levels return to acceptable levels.

The agency must close an area of water during a sewage spill when

bacteria levels rise higher than state-mandated standards permit.