Bayside Drive Beach may reopen Saturday afternoon after sewage spill

A small stretch of beach along Newport Bay will be closed to swimmers for several days after a boat spilled sewage into the ocean Wednesday morning.

A U.S. Coast Guard vessel was pumping its waste water out of the holding tank when a line broke, sending about 50 gallons of sewage into the water, said Larry Honeybourne, assistant director of environmental health for the Orange County Health Agency.

The affected area stretches from Bayside Drive Beach to 600 feet north. The beach is expected to be closed until Saturday afternoon, or until bacteria return to levels safe for swimming, Honeybourne said.

Officials rely on natural elements to dilute and disperse the sewage.

“UV rays kill a lot of the bacteria, and salt water acts as a disinfectant,” Honeybourne said.

The agency will test the water daily to determine when it’s safe to open the beach again.

“We want to make sure that people aren’t exposed to organisms that might cause them to get sick,” Honeybourne said.

--Stephen Cesar and Hannah Fry