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Rain fouls up water, beaches in California
Source: Agencies |
December 24, 2010, Friday
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CALIFORNIA residents who endured flooding, mudslides and evacuations during weeklong rain now have another problem: contaminated water and fouled beaches.
The rain washed trash, pesticides and bacteria into waterways, prompting health warnings. Four beaches were closed in Northern California's San Mateo County and another 20 kilometers of beach from Laguna Beach to San Clemente in Southern California's Orange County were off-limits because of sewer overflows.
While the rain eased on Wednesday, the danger was not over for foothill residents living below wildfire-scarred hillsides. "The ground is so saturated it could move at any time" and the threat will remain for several weeks, said Bob Spencer, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.
More than 200 homes were ordered evacuated for more than 24 hours in La Canada Flintridge and La Crescenta, suburbs of Los Angeles below steep hillsides that burned in 2009 and where mudslides inundated homes in February.
After days of relentless rain, long-awaited sunshine was finally in the forecast yesterday, but officials said Californians may want to resist the urge to head to the ocean.
"It can be very nice the next day and everyone says 'This is great! This is a beach day,'" said Jonathan E. Fielding, director of the Los Angeles county public health department. "It could well be but we will be monitoring and testing water and we won't recommend people go back there until we're sure it's safe."
Experts normally recommend waiting 72 hours after a storm before getting in the water, though in this case some are saying five days might be wiser. The contamination in some areas could last for weeks because of the especially heavy rains.
Sixty people were rescued and more than 30 homes evacuated when water surged through Dove Canyon.
The rain washed trash, pesticides and bacteria into waterways, prompting health warnings. Four beaches were closed in Northern California's San Mateo County and another 20 kilometers of beach from Laguna Beach to San Clemente in Southern California's Orange County were off-limits because of sewer overflows.
While the rain eased on Wednesday, the danger was not over for foothill residents living below wildfire-scarred hillsides. "The ground is so saturated it could move at any time" and the threat will remain for several weeks, said Bob Spencer, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.
More than 200 homes were ordered evacuated for more than 24 hours in La Canada Flintridge and La Crescenta, suburbs of Los Angeles below steep hillsides that burned in 2009 and where mudslides inundated homes in February.
After days of relentless rain, long-awaited sunshine was finally in the forecast yesterday, but officials said Californians may want to resist the urge to head to the ocean.
"It can be very nice the next day and everyone says 'This is great! This is a beach day,'" said Jonathan E. Fielding, director of the Los Angeles county public health department. "It could well be but we will be monitoring and testing water and we won't recommend people go back there until we're sure it's safe."
Experts normally recommend waiting 72 hours after a storm before getting in the water, though in this case some are saying five days might be wiser. The contamination in some areas could last for weeks because of the especially heavy rains.
Sixty people were rescued and more than 30 homes evacuated when water surged through Dove Canyon.
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