A sanitary sewer leak at the Ben Brown Golf Course in Laguna Beach has spilled about 4 million gallons of raw sewage, prompting the Orange County Healthcare Agency to close the ocean and bay areas from Pelican Point at Crystal Cove in Newport Beach to the Poche Beach interface in Dana Point and San Clemente.

The spill, caused by a broken force main on the city-owned sewer line, was first reported at 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, November 27.

Orange County Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick said the affected ocean and bay water areas will be closed to swimmer and surfers until monitoring shows they meet acceptable water quality standards.

“I want to stress the importance of avoiding contact with ocean water in the affected areas due to the danger of exposure to untreated sewage, which can be harmful and result in very serious illness with potentially severe effects,” Quick said Wednesday.

Any residents or visitors who smell the odor of sewage in the affected areas can file a complaint through the South Coast Air Quality Management District at 800-CUT-SMOG (800-288-7664).

See a map of the affected coastline here.

Officials said the closures would remain in effect until the results of follow-up water quality monitoring meet acceptable standards. For updates, visit ocbeachinfo.com

City News Service contributed to this report.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to clarify that the sewer line is owned by the city of Laguna Beach.