Big Sewage Spill Fouls Mission Bay

Nearly 400,000 gallons of sewage flowed from a ruptured pipe into Mission Bay before utility crews could cap the aging pipe, authorities said Sunday.

The deteriorating pipe, part of a pump station at Bayside Walk and Capistrano Place in Mission Beach, broke about 6 a.m. Friday and gushed sewage at a rate of 200 gallons a minute into the bay and nearby streets until work crews plugged the pipe 36 hours later.

County health officials posted signs near Mariners Basin--the most contaminated area-- advising people to avoid the bay water until test results confirm that the water is no longer hazardous.