Repairs prompt closure

The water from the Newport Beach Pier to Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach was closed to swimmers and surfers Saturday morning while the Orange County Sanitation District repaired a sewerage pipe several miles offshore, officials said.

The closure was just a precautionary measure, said sanitation district spokeswoman Jennifer Cabral.

“Our primary concern is public safety,” Cabral said.

While doing a scheduled repair to an outfall pipe five miles offshore of the Santa Ana River mouth, crews transferred the sewage flow to an emergency pipe much closer to shore, Cabral said. The emergency pipe, just more than a mile offshore, was in use for longer than expected, and the Orange County Health Care Agency closed nearby water as a precaution, Cabral said.

The water will stay off limits until the healthcare agency says it’s safe to reopen, officials said.

The normally crowded beachfront north of the Newport Pier was vacant Saturday except for a few people strolling on the sand. Newport Lifeguards staggered yellow beach closure signs along the beach and police assisted the lifeguards in clearing the water.

“We seek voluntary compliance,” said Newport Lifeguard Battalion Chief Jim Turner.

When the lifeguards spotted anyone going into the water they asked them to get out.

“We don’t want them in the water,” Turner said.

Surfer Jennifer Perry said she was “slightly” worried about surfing in the water near Newport after hearing about the closure.

“Don’t want to get sick,” Perry said.

But the warnings didn’t keep her from hitting the water on the south side of the pier. As far as the waves, it didn’t make a difference which side of the pier was open to surfers ? the waves weren’t so good on either side, Perry said.dpt.30-beaches-CPhotoInfoLR1QFL6C20060430iyi7u1ncMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)A surfer heads out from West Newport despite warning signs.