Carlsbad asks residents to reduce water usage following sewage spill

CARLSBAD – While Carlsbad Utilities Department employees are repairing a sewer pipe break which caused a 9,000-gallon, sewage spill into the Batiquitos Lagoon and the beach west of the lagoon, officials are asking nearby residents to reduce their water use for a speedier repair. 

City officials said that at about 8 a.m. Sunday, its crews discovered a flow coming from the Batiquitos Lift Station, just north of the lagoon.

“Our crews immediately took steps to contain that and now they are working on the repairs,” said Kristina Ray, city of Carlsbad communications manager. “We have asked everyone who lives in that general area, north to Batiquitos Lagoon, to reduce their indoor water use as much as possible because that’s the area that flows into the pump station.”

Officials said that the water flow areas to the Batiquitos pump station ranges from north of the Batiquitos Lagoon, south of Poinsettia Lane, east of Interstate 5, and west of El Camino Real.

This reduction of indoor water use includes decreasing doing laundry, washing dishes, and scaling back on showers and flushing toilets.

As of 5:20 p.m. residents are still being asked to reduce their water usage.

Staff members also noted that as a precaution, water quality warning signs have been affixed at the lagoon trail location, and the beach west of the lagoon.