What Sewage Spill?

Dog Beach was crowded with beachgoers and their dogs playing in the hazy afternoon sun on Saturday, September 26. Just a couple days earlier, signs warning of sewage contamination in the water flanked the popular canine hangout.

The contamination originated from a 1368-gallon sewage spill in Mission Valley at 11:28 a.m. on Wednesday, September 23. The spill was caused by a grease blockage and began at the intersection of Mission Center Road and Camino de la Reina. The untreated sewage flowed into a storm drain that empties into the San Diego River, which leads to Dog Beach.

“I didn’t even know there had been a sewage spill,” said one dog owner as she stood on the sand and watched her dog frolic in the surf. “Either way, there’s nothing that’s going to keep him out of the water.”