Blog # 13

Sewage Spill from Mission Valley to Ocean Beach
9/23/09
A sewage spill in Mission Valley led on Wednesday to a coastal pollution alert in Ocean Beach, about five miles to the west.
http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/story/Sewage-Spill-from-Mission-Valley-to-Ocean-Beach/qWYuIGp6oEeMp2ZNMf20lQ.cspx

1. What is the issue, controversy or event in the story? What are the basic facts?
About 1,370 gallons of sewage spilled into Mission Valley Beach, and the waste managed to reach all the way to Ocean beach, and closed both of the beaches temporarily. This sewage flooded out due to a clogged sanitation line.

2. What information is missing from the story?
The article didn't say how the water was decontaminated, or if it was decontaminated at all.

3. What would be your next steps if you were creating a follow up to this story?
If I were creating a follow up story, I'd want to find out how clean the water was after the sign was taken down, and I would interview some of the people who had to deal with the issue about how they fixed the problem, and if they attempted to clean the waters. I'd also try to find out about all the most recent sewage spills, and say how many sewage spills in San Diego there have been within the past three years to see how big of an issue our sewage system really is to our oceans.