Two Contaminated Bay Channels Closed

Two Newport Bay channels will remain closed indefinitely to swimming and water sports because of contamination, county officials said Friday.

The 33rd Street channel, between 33rd and 37th streets, and the Rhine channel from Lido Park Drive to 28th, were found to have unhealthful levels of bacteria.

Officials have yet to pinpoint the problem, but they suspect that runoff from city streets is the culprit.

A routine sampling Aug. 7 discovered that pathogen indicators were too high, Larry W. Honeybourne, program chief for the county’s Environmental Health Division, said.

The sites are not particularly popular to swimmers and divers, but they are with boaters, who sometimes jump in the water to clean their crafts or to swim.

Those who swim in contaminated water can suffer a host of health problems, from ear and nose infection to gastrointestinal disease, particularly if the water is ingested, Honeybourne said.

Also still closed to water sports for similar reasons are several portions of Huntington Harbour, including Peter’s Landing and Mother’s Beach.

The county provides a 24-hour hotline on beach closures.

Information: (714) 667-3752.