Monterey’s McAbee Beach back open

UPDATE 7/31/2017 9:55 a.m. Mcabee Beach is back open to the public.

The beach was closed July 27, after city officials in Monterey said that sewage had spilled in the bay. Health officials said contact with contaminated water may cause gastroenteritis and other water born illnesses.

Samples taken on July 28, revealed that bacteria levels were safe for people to get in the water.

PREVIOUS STORY:

7/27/17 10:00 p.m.: A sewage spill has closed a popular beach on Canary Row. Monterey County Health Officials are warning people to stay away from McAbee Beach until testing is complete.

The sewage spill happened Tuesday morning. According to city officials the restaurant responsible repaired the issue that same day.

Thursday, the Monterey County Health Department says the water is still contaminated and until tests are finished, everyone should stay away.

All entrances to the beach are blocked by red signs posted by the health department. A disappointment for tourists that come to take in the Monterey landmark.

“We can’t share this part of the area and enjoy our stay,” says tourist Alvaro Fuentes Castro from San Jose.

A Central Coast local says she was in the water the morning the spill happened.

“I was playing in the tide pools when it was really low tide,” said local Stephanie Kaczmarek. “Nothing was weird [or] smelled weird but now I’m kind of a little worried that maybe I got infected or something.”

Keeping locals and tourists from getting sick is exactly what the Monterey County Health Department is hoping to do.

Ric Encarnacion, with the Monterey County’s Environment Health Bureau says they’ve kept a close watch on the water since the spill.

“We’ve been testing since we’ve seen report of the incident,” the bureau’s assistant director said. “The primary precautionary measure because of the sewage overflow was to close the beach.”

Though the water may look normal, officials say it could carry dangerous bacteria.

“E. Coli, the same germ that has caused many diseases related to food borne illness,” Encarnacion said. “There’s also issues with various contaminants that are present in sewage water.”

Contaminants that could come with serious symptoms if someone comes in contact with the water.

“Gastroenteritis, some stomach problems, skin irritation,” according to Encarnacion.

So far the tests show there are still elements of sewage in the water. For now all the health department can do is continue to monitor.

“We’ll keep re-testing the water until the tests show that it’s ok to get back in the water,” Encarnacion said.

Because of where the spill is, the health department says they can’t recover the sewage from the water. They say it’s up to the ocean to naturally filter it out.

PREVIOUS STORY: McAbee Beach in Monterey is closed because of a sewage spill on Tuesday, according to the Monterey County Health Department.

The bureau said the City of Monterey first reported the spill into the Monterey Bay to the Monterey County Environmental Health Bureau on Tuesday, July 25 at 10:38 a.m. But a media release on the closure and spill was issued Thursday, July 27 at 2:17 p.m.

According to the city of Monterey, the spill happened at a restaurant near the beach and the sewage problem was fixed the same day.

The county said the beach will remain closed until samples show the water is safe for contact according to state guidelines.

Contaminated water can cause gastroenteritis and other water borne illnesses, according to the county.

KION’s Zach Fuentes will have more on this story.