Tuesday, August 16th, 2022

Forget the Big Fish, Beware of the Bugs - 

Avila Beach Closed Due To Sewage Spill

My plan was to run at Avila today and tomorrow and see if the sharkyness was acceptable for a swim on Thursday. At about 6:30 there was dense fog at Avila and a light wind out of the SE. Visibility varied from about a surfline to a third of the way out along the pier. Not a good day to be out in the water, especially with the shark warnings still up.  

So I ran as planned. The beach was less crowded than usual with just one other runner that I usually see, a few people out with their dogs and on surf fishermen. I got home, checked the news and found this in the Tribune:

More than 10,000 gallons of water, sewage spill into San Luis Obispo creek 

BY KAYTLYN LESLIE UPDATED AUGUST 16, 2022 11:19 AM 

The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department said a “large volume of potable water and sewage” was released in the area of Broad Street and Ramona Drive after a break in an 11-inch potable water main on Aug. 15, 2022. Courtesy of the city of San Luis Obispo More than 10,000 gallons of water and sewage spilled into a San Luis Obispo-area creek on Monday night, according to the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department. The department said a “large volume of potable water and sewage” was released in the area of Broad Street and Ramona Drive after a break in an 11-inch potable water main Monday. The damage also prompted a closure of Broad Street to Murray Avenue, the city tweeted Monday night. Crews were on site Monday night working to repair the main. Meanwhile, the potable water entered a section of exposed sewer line under construction, causing an overflow from the sewer system into Garden Creek, according to a release. The creek is a tributary of San Luis Obispo Creek. Get unlimited digital access Subscribe now for just $2 for 2 months. CLAIM OFFER The department said the specific volume of the spill has not yet been determined, but it was in excess of 10,000 gallons. The agency also advised people to avoid water contact in the area; ocean water samples will be taken at the mouth of San Luis Obispo Creek to determine further impacts of the spill, according to the release. Closure signs will also be posted at the beach area near the mouth of the creek until tests indicate water quality is not impacted.

Thank you Mr. Sharky for keeping me out of the water this morning! The beach had not yet been posted when I was there so if I had been planning on swimming I would have gotten in and swum parallel to the shore between the surf and the buoy line to dodge the fog.

Holy Hepatitis!  

Info about the closure is posted at the County's SurfSafeSLO website; https://slocounty.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/0693b6f43f444995afc3f90d29b81432.

The Surfrider Blue Water Task Force will collect samples from Avila Beach to the SLO City limits as usual on Thursday morning and our results will be posted at the BWTF website midday Friday: https://bwtf.surfrider.org/explore/34.

There will be a 24 + hour lag for the posting of results for any lab because the bacterial samples must incubate for between 24 and 28 hours before the results can be read. 

I'll watch the water sampling results but I'm thinking that between the bugs and the big fish it will likely be at least Saturday before I swim.

niel  🏊