Several Monterey Co. beaches close after a 4.9 million gallon sewage leak

Beaches in Monterey County, such as Marina State Beach seen here, are among those closed due to the gallons of sewage that have spilled into the water. Beaches in Monterey County, such as Marina State Beach seen here, are among those closed due to the gallons of sewage that have spilled into the water. Photo: Jill K. Robinson, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Jill K. Robinson, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 10 Caption Close Several Monterey Co. beaches close after a 4.9 million gallon sewage leak 1 / 10 Back to Gallery

This article appeared on KSBW.

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. — Monterey One Water says as much as 4.9 million gallons of wastewater spilled into the Monterey Bay.

The leak was caused by an equipment failure at their wastewater treatment facility in Marina.

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The beach coastline between Marina State Beach and Stillwater Cove, Monterey, California are closed as a result.

Those beaches include: Carmel Beach at Ocean Avenue, Monterey Municipal Beach, Lover's Point, the Beach at Monterey State Beach, San Carlos Beach, the beach at Sunset Drive at Asilomar, the beach at Spanish Bay and Stillwater Cove are closed. All other beaches are open without restriction.

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The beach will remain closed until samples indicate that the water is again safe for contact according to state guidelines.

The Monterey County Health Department warns that contact with contaminated water may cause gastroenteritis and other water borne illnesses.