Two Spills Send Raw Sewage Into Chollas Creek, Mission Bay

Two spills on Tuesday sent more than 24,000 gallons of raw sewage into Chollas Creek and 120 gallons into Mission Bay, health officials said.

The larger spill occurred about 5 p.m. Monday evening when sewage began pouring out of a manhole cover near 52nd and Spruce streets in East San Diego, said San Diego Health Services Department spokeswoman Yvonne Rehg.

The flow, estimated at 100 gallons a minute, was still steady as of 9 p.m., she said. She said the cause of the spill was unknown.

The sewage was flowing into Chollas Creek, where warning signs had been posted, Rehg said. The creek eventually empties into San Diego Bay at the 32nd Street Naval Station.

About 200 yards of San Juan Cove on Mission Bay was off limits Tuesday after 120 gallons of sewage spilled into the water shortly after 8:30 a.m., health department spokesman Lyn Wallis said. The spill resulted from sand that had washed ashore during the recent storm, clogging a pump station located in an alley near Bayside Walk, authorities said.