CAMP PENDLETON (CNS) - A vehicle crashed into a sewer pipe in Camp Pendleton Sunday, causing an estimated 18,000 gallons of sewage to spill near the Santa Margarita River and prompting beach closures north of Oceanside.
The spill prompted officials to close Camp Del Mar Beach and post signs warning of contamination north and south of the Santa Margarita River outlet, said spokesman Mark McPherson at the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health.
The spill started at about 4:40 a.m. when a vehicle crashed into a sewer main that feeds a treatment plant near Vandegrift Boulevard and Stuart Mesa Road on the post.
Crews were able to recover about 8,000 gallons from the spill. However, an estimated 10,000 gallons of sewage drained into the Santa Margarita River, McPherson said.
The county planned to ban water contact north of Oceanside until water samples show it is safe.
