LA County beach advisory: Avoid swimming, surfing near storm drains after overnight rain

The Los Angeles County Health Officer Thursday, Nov. 22, advised residents planning to visit county beaches to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters around discharging storm drains, creeks, and rivers due to the recent rainfall.

As of 1 p.m., signs posted at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro warned swimmers to avoid the water because bacteria levels exceeded state standards.

Bacteria, debris, trash and other health hazards from city streets and mountain areas are likely to contaminate ocean waters and people who enter the ocean waters could become ill, according to the advisory, which will be in effect until 5 a.m. Sunday, Los Angeles County Health Officer Muntu Davis said.

The advisory could be extended depending on further rainfall, Davis said.

“Areas of the beach apart from discharging storm drains, creeks, and rivers are exempted from this advisory,” he said. “Anybody who wants to go to other areas at the beach can still enjoy their beach outing.”

Rain fell across parts of Southern California overnight, causing worry over potential mudslides in the burn areas of the Woolsey fire, now 100 percent contained.

By 5 a.m., the storm had moved east after only depositing a quarter to three quarters of an inch of rain in LA County — not enough to cause any significant flooding, said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.