Multiple California beaches closed after 8 million gallons of sewage discharges into ocean

 Several beaches in Southern California were closed to swimmers and surfers on Wednesday after nearly 8 million gallons of sewage was released into the ocean.

Fox 11 in Los Angeles reported that beaches in Long Beach and Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro would remain closed due to millions of gallons of contaminants entering the ocean.

On Monday afternoon, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced that sewage was released from an unspecified location at approximately 6 a.m.

As a result, untreated sewage was sent into the Dominguez Channel, which leads to the area near Cabrillo Beach. Ultimately, the sewage flow was stopped, the station reported.

Why the sewage spilled was not immediately known, although officials said the spill caused 8 million gallons of sewage to enter the channel.

Health officials declared Cabrillo Beach's water out of limits, noting that bacteria levels had increased and needed to return to acceptable levels.

In Long Beach, health officials also closed the water to all of its beaches due to the spill.

Officials said an additional leak occurred in Commerce on Monday, causing 40,000 gallons of sewage to flow into the Los Angeles River, which ultimately leads to the Pacific Ocean.

Residents had already been warned to avoid sea water due to bacteria influx from recent torrential rains.