SoCal beach closed after tampon applicators, condoms, needles wash ashore

PLAYA DEL REY, LOS ANGELES -- Dockweiler State Beach has been closed until further notice after medical waste, including condoms, tampon applicators and hypodermic needles, from a sewer pipe washed ashore.

The closure from Ballona Creek to Grand Avenue was announced at about 6:20 p.m. Wednesday following a report of debris along the shoreline and in the water.

Water at the beach showed excessive levels of bacteria, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials said.

The medical and other waste had been discharged from the Hyperion Treatment Plant, according to Heal the Bay, an environmental activist and water monitoring group.

The pipeline that would ordinarily discharge the treated waste five miles offshore was being repaired, Tonya Durrell of Hyperion said.

L.A. Sanitation crews were cleaning up the medical waste.

The L.A. County Fire Department has asked the public to stay out of the water and avoid contact with wet sand any materials washed up onshore until the cleanup effort is completed.

The origin of the debris remains under investigation.

For more information on beach conditions, contact L.A. County's 24-hour beach closure hotline at 1 (800) 525-5662 or visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/beach.

City News Service contributed to this report.