By Kristopher Hanson Aggressive conservation has slashed water consumption in Long Beach by 1.6 billion gallons in the past year, dropping usage to a 10-year low, officials said Tuesday.

By Kelly Puente LONG BEACH - A spill that leaked 12,000 gallons of raw sewage into Spinnaker Bay near Marine Stadium on Saturday was caused by a grease blockage in a sewer pipe, Long Beach Water Department officials said Monday.

By Tiffany Rider LONG BEACH - Water and sewer rates will not increase, at least not yet. The Board of Water Commissioners on Thursday rejected a plan to increase residential water and sewer rates, postponing what the department says is inevitable.

LONG BEACH - The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners likely will pass a proposed 15.8 percent increase in residential water and sewage monthly bills Thursday.

By Joe Segura LONG BEACH - Construction of Long Beach Water Department's ocean- water filtration system - which might be used for a desalination project - has been completed and the testing process should get under way in the near future. "Everything went well," spokesman Ryan Alsop said Thursday.