A pollution alert was in effect Tuesday along a North County waterway due to a spill of an estimated 154,000 gallons of treated sewage.
The overflow near the 3500 block of Hacienda Drive in Oceanside began about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, when a pressurized sanitation pipeline developed a leak, according to the county Department of Environmental Health.
Until city crews got the problem under control about 15 hours later, effluent flowed into a drainage channel that discharges into the San Luis Rey River.
Though the spill consisted of treated sewage, preliminary samples indicated that it resulted in high bacteria counts in the affected area. Signs warning of contamination will stand at various access points to the river until follow-up testing deems the waterway safe again for human contact.
The spill resulted in no ocean pollution, the department reported.
