BREAKING NEWS UPDATE

A major sewage spill has closed a two-mile stretch of beach in Laguna Beach and has shut down Glenneyre Street between Calliope Street and Bluebird Canyon Drive until further notice, City Manager Ken Frank announced.

An estimated 100,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled during an eight-hour period, Frank said. The spill began at 2 a.m. and was stopped at 10:15 a.m.

Beaches from Crescent Bay in North Laguna to Camel Point in South Laguna have been closed by the County Health Department.

“At about 2 a.m. this morning, the large sewage pump station at Bluebird and Glenneyre stopped operating,” Frank wrote in a press statement released at 4 a.m. Wednesday. “The reason for the stoppage is unknown at this moment. When city crews arrived, sewage had flooded part of the station, causing the sewage to flow into the adjacent street (Galen Dr.) The effluent is going into a storm drain which empties at Bluebird Beach. At this time the city crews are attempting to drain the pump station so they can identify the problem. No estimated containment time is available now.”

The beaches will be closed for at least two days, Frank said. Coast Highway remains open and is not expected to be closed.