Long Beach temporarily closes swimming areas after 30-40,000 gallons of sewage spills into LA River

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- The city of Long Beach was forced to close all of its beach swimming areas Wednesday out of an abundance of caution following a large sewage spill.

Between 30,000 and 40,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the Los Angeles River on March 1 due to a grease-clogged sewer line in the city of Paramount, according to officials.

That means that swimming is off-limits along the seven miles of beaches in Long Beach.

The Long Beach Health Department's Environmental Health Recreational Water Quality health inspection team is monitoring water quality along the affected beach sites.

City officials say beaches will remain closed until the water meets state health requirements. Weekly water samples are collected and tested routinely to monitor bacterial levels.

For more information on beach water quality in Long Beach, click here.