Map shows Ladera Street in east-west position, with Cordova entering from the north. Garbage Beach and Break is just off the cliffs.
Local media reported that there was a sewage spill on Tuesday, June 17th, that entered a local storm drain which resulted in nearly 500 gallons being dumped in and around Garbage Beach. Garbage Beach is a favorite surfing and swimming area along beautiful Sunset Cliffs.
The overflow of sewage is reported to have begun at Ladera and Cordova Streets just before 8 a.m. City crews jumped right on it, and said they had it under control in less than 30 minutes.
But apparently, during that half hour it’s estimated that approximately 1,300 gallons of raw sewage flowed out of the system and into the storm drain at the corner of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. That’s right where the stairs down to Garbage are, of course. The County Department of Environmental Health made the report and estimated about “465 gallons made it onto the nearby shoreline.”
Signs were posted warning of the contamination. They’ll stay up until DEH does follow-up testing before they’ll say the surf is clean and safe enough for swimming and surfing. Channel 6
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That’s why the call it Garbage. Good thing it’s flat today.
Yep, it stinks out there. Sewage wafting in the wind.
Obviously, the reason the place is called “Garbage” is because locals used to throw their garbage over the side of the cliffs – out of sight, out of mind; it’s amazing what our forebears used to do with their garbage. Sure, toss it into the ocean, it’ll go away.
Why, I remember crawling up the face of that cliff at garbage with my 6’9″ log long before there were any stairs. Some blessed person had chipped some footholds in the sandstone, and there was a short rope for one part of the climb. But man o man, having to scale that thing with your board after a fun but exhausting time in the surf – I’m glad people don’t have to do that any more.
OB Joe, I’m sure you also recall the nude beach down there, just south of where the stairs are now, right?
Yup, never went naked there though. And I remember the original OBRAG covering (no pun intended) the fact that cops up on the cliffs were spying on the nudists below.