Angelenos are no strangers to spotting the occasional condom in the wild. But things have gone way too far over at Dockweiler State Beach, where condoms, tampon applicators and hypodermic needles from a sewer pipe washed ashore and closed the beach until further notice.
The beach was officially closed as of 6:20pm Wednesday, according to reports from ABC7. Officials from the LA County Department of Public Health said the reasoning behind closing off the beach was because of excess levels of bacteria. No kidding.
While gross, a spokeswoman told the LA Times that the waste is not toxic and “does not pose a threat to the public." But health advisors were adamant about people not going in the water, making contact with wet sand or any of the disgusting items that wash ashore. All through the night, cleaning crews were working to get all of the items off the beach.
Officials are still investigating the official source of the waste, but an environmental activist and water monitoring group told ABC7 that the waste came from the Hyperion Treatment Plant. The plant usually discharges waste five miles offshore (still gross), but a pipe was being repaired and, well, that’s how you get needles on a beach.