Sonoma County residents as of Monday are free to safely re-enter all coastal and river beaches, most of which have been under advisories since last week due to a sewage spill from the Russian River Treatment Plant in Guerneville, according to county health officials.

Water sampling and testing conducted over two days at four beaches along the Sonoma County coast — Goat Rock, Stillwater, Black Point and Gualala — and other sites along the Russian River, including Johnson’s Beach, Monte Rio and Patterson Point, revealed the water was within state recreational health standards. Due to the test results, the advisories issued last week warning people and pets to avoid the water were lifted, according to a county news release.

This was the second round of warnings lifted after Doran, Campbell Cove and Salmon Creek beaches were cleared Friday.

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The Sonoma Water Treatment Facility at the end of Neeley Road near Guerneville on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)

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While officials have declared the beaches safe, Sonoma County Environmental Health Director Christine Sosko said beachgoers and their pets should continue to wash off after coming in contact with the water. This is true now, following the sewage spill, and after every trip into oceans and rivers, Sosko said in the news release.

In general, residents should avoid going into natural waterways for 72 hours after a stronger rainstorm, she added.

“Heavy rainfall and storm runoff during wet weather events significantly increases the risk of recreational water contamination,” Sosko said.

Wastewater began spilling last Tuesday morning, after heavy storms and rising river waters overwhelmed the treatment plant, and continued pouring into the Russian River until just before 7 a.m. Thursday. Some of the discharge was traveling a quarter of a mile through a forested area before it reached the mainstem of the river, officials said.

The plant is designed to handle about 710,000 gallons of wastewater a day in dry weather, according to Sonoma Water, which operates the facility. Officials estimated on Friday that the volume of the spill was more than 5.5 million gallons.

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The Sonoma Water Treatment Facility at the end of Neeley Road near Guerneville on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)

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Some beaches were closed starting Wednesday along the Sonoma County coast and warnings were posted urging people to keep out of the water. Residents were alerted as early as Tuesday morning to the spill.

Updates on the spill and water testing are available at https://www.sonomawater.org/rrcsd-spill.