(Image Credit: IMAGN) A sign along the Arroyo Simi in Moorpark warns of possible sewage contamination on Thursday, May 4, 2023. County officials recently detected a sewer line break that has sent millions of gallons of raw sewage into the channel.
La Jolla, California – A section of the beach in La Jolla was closed Monday following a sewage spill that prompted San Diego County health officials to issue a contact closure for ocean access.
The spill occurred near the intersection of Spindrift Drive and Princess Street, just south of the popular La Jolla Shores area. According to the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality, the closure extends 100 feet in both directions from the site of the release.
In a public advisory, the department warned beachgoers that the ocean water in the affected area “contains sewage and may cause illness.” As a result, contact with the water has been temporarily prohibited. Officials said the beach will remain closed until field observations and water samples confirm that it is safe to re-enter.
A city spokesperson confirmed that approximately 178 gallons of sewage entered the ocean, though the source of the spill remains under investigation.
While the scope of this particular incident is relatively limited, the reality of yet another beach closure due to contaminated water continues to raise concerns — especially in a region where coastal access is central to daily life and local identity.
Sewage spills in San Diego are becoming an uncomfortably frequent headline, not only from local infrastructure issues but also from the ongoing crisis across the border in Tijuana, where broken or overwhelmed systems routinely discharge millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into the Pacific. That pollution often flows north, leading to beach closures that stretch from Imperial Beach to Coronado, and occasionally even as far as Point Loma.
Though Monday’s spill was domestic and relatively small in scale, it fits into a broader and troubling pattern of vulnerability when it comes to water quality along the county’s coastline. For a region that markets itself on sun, surf, and sea, the growing regularity of these closures undermines public confidence in the safety of its shores — and serves as yet another reminder that both sides of the border must do more to modernize infrastructure, increase accountability, and prioritize the health of shared waterways.
For now, swimmers and surfers in La Jolla will have to steer clear of a small but scenic stretch of beach until testing confirms the water is safe again — something that, in 2025, shouldn’t have to happen this often.
