4 million gallons of sewage spill into lagoon

CARLSBAD, Calif. - More than 4 million gallons of raw sewage belched into a seaside ecological reserve, threatening aquatic life and forcing the closure of a beach in one of the worst spills in San Diego County's recent history. Sewage started gushing into the Buena Vista Lagoon after a main broke Sunday night. Crews battled to truck effluent-ridden water in 5,500-gallon tankers around the break. Workers also were installing pipe to bypass the break. Experts said it was too soon to assess the environmental impact, but the spill compares with a 5 million gallon overflow that killed thousands of fish in the lagoon in 1994. The freshwater lagoon, which feeds into the ocean, is sandwiched between Carlsbad and Oceanside in the northern part of the county.
The Department of Environmental Health closed more than a mile of beach in Carlsbad and Oceanside and posted signs warning of the contamination. Carlsbad Public Works Director Glenn Pruim said he did not know what caused the break. the section of metal pipe that failed is 25 years old and was not replaced when other pipe in the area was upgraded, he said.