SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A spill of roughly 1.2 million gallons of sewage at an East County pump station during this week's storms prompted an ocean pollution alert for a beach area about 20 miles away, authorities.
Wastewater began overflowing at the sanitation station in the 9200 block of Carlton Oaks Drive in Santee shortly before 6 a.m. Wednesday, according to the county Department of Environmental Health.
Until crews got the problem under control some six hours later, sewage flowed into the rain-swollen San Diego River.
Signs warning of contamination hazards will stand from the mouth of the river south to Ocean Beach Pier until follow-up testing deems the area safe again for recreational uses.
