The shoreline in Long Beach temporarily closed Monday, Jan. 13, due to a sewage spill that occurred over the weekend.

Environmental Health Operations Officer Judeth Luong said it’s unclear how long the closures will last, but best practices dictate that the city should get at least two clean water samples before reopening the beaches. The samples take about 24 hours to test, so the shutdown will likely last at least 48 hours.

Officials took samples Monday morning, Luong said, and would re-assess when results come back Tuesday.

“Once we look at the results tomorrow,” she said, “we can probably have a better idea” of when the beaches will reopen.

The sewage spill was caused by a grease blockage in Hawaiian Gardens. Because of the blockage, roughly 11,000 gallons of sewage were discharged into the San Gabriel River on Sunday, Jan. 12.

Signs will be posted at impacted beaches until the closures are lifted.

For the latest status on Long Beach recreational beach water quality, call the Water Hotline, 562-570-4199, or visit longbeach.gov/beachwaterquality.