SOUTH COUNTY: A 342,000-gallon sewage spill that began Tuesday night and ended early yesterday has closed a stretch of beach near the U.S.-Mexico border, county health officials announced.

Officials with the county Department of Environmental Health said yesterday that the spill was caused by a scheduled shutdown for the maintenance of a sewer pump station between 9 p.m. Tuesday and 3 a.m. yesterday.

The sewage flowed into the ocean at Playas de Tijuana, about one mile south of the border. Signs have been posted at Border Field State Park warning against water contact as a precautionary measure. They will remain in place until field measurements indicate the water is safe. –J.Z.