Portion of Newport Bay reopens after sewage spill

A stretch of Newport Bay that had been closed to swimmers and divers because of a sewage spill reopened Friday, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency, which monitors water quality.

The ocean was closed earlier this week along a half-mile stretch of beach, from Bayside Drive Beach to Carnation Cove, after about 500 gallons of sewage spilled into the water, according to the agency. In order for it to reopen, water had to have acceptably low bacterial levels for two consecutive days.

For more information, go to ocbeachinfo.com.

— Jill Cowan

Twitter: @jillcowan