A New Report Cites “Continuous Urban Activities” in the Area That Exacerbate Pollution
Water quality concerns continue to plague Santa Monica Beach.
In its 34th annual “Beach Report Card”, Heal the Bay assigned A to F letter grades to West Coast beaches based on estimated amounts of fecal pollution; a sign of contamination from sources such as human and animal waste. The report categorized the ten dirtiest beaches into its “Beach Bummers” list.
While the beach around the Santa Monica Pier slightly fell from its previous spot as the most polluted in California, and even after improvements including a new stormwater capture system and recent efforts to manage pollution from bird feces, the latest report ranked it once more among the most tainted on the coast (3rd) and the worst within Los Angeles County.
Heal the Bay cites “continuous urban activities” in the area that exacerbate pollution as cause for the Pier’s ongoing quality issues, in addition to efforts of establishing bird deterrent netting being “ineffective or [having] not been adequately maintained.” Since 2013, Santa Monica Beach has consistently landed somewhere in the annual contamination scorecard’s ten lowest-rated, except for years 2019 through 2021.
“The pier’s consistent appearance on the Beach Bummer list indicates ongoing challenges in controlling sources of pollution.” as stated in the report.
The last time Santa Monica was beat out as L.A. County’s most polluted beach was in 2021, when the near-adjacent Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey took the cake. ‘Mother’s’ came in as the county’s second most polluted this year, while ranking as the 9th most adulterated on the coast overall. “Mother’s Beach remains a Beach Bummer, primarily due to its enclosed geography within Marina Del Rey, which limits wave action and water circulation.” as stated in the report. “This setup traps pollutants close to the shore, and despite several local water quality improvement efforts, the beach continues to struggle with high levels of bacterial pollution.”
San Diego County’s Tijuana River Mouth (previously ranked sixth, but surged in rankings due to “persistent sewage issues”) took the report’s top spot as the most polluted, while Playa Blanca of Baja California, Mexico came in at second place.
While 89% of California beaches received top marks for water quality between April and October of last year, that number dipped to 66% for results tested from November 2023 to March 2024; likely a result of five major storm events (known as atmospheric rivers) around that time which are know to overwhelm urban infrastructure, washing pollutants such as bacteria into the sea. These spills led to 38 million gallons of sewage into the ocean and coastal waterways, according to the report.
“Sewage spills, combined with extreme weather, underscore the urgent need for climate preparedness and investments in sewage infrastructure upgrades and enhancements in public notification protocols.” stated the report. “Local officials are strongly urged to prioritize these investments to ensure the safety and well-being of all beachgoers and to protect the environmental health of California’s coastal ecosystems.”
L.A. County beaches’ scores largely reflected those of the state during the Summer, with 81% earning A and B grades. However, Winter grades substantially declined, with just 37% of beaches getting A and B grades, which the report stated was “greatly impacted by this winter’s severe rainstorms.” The county also got its share of an uptick in rainfall, receiving 21 inches — 93% more than the historic average of 11 inches–while it experienced 185 sewage spills totaling approximately 9 million gallons, a dramatic rise from the 330,396 gallons reported last year.
Twelve California beaches achieved the report’s “Honor Roll” distinction–an improvement from the two that got it last year–when a beach receives an A+ grade through all conditions after being monitored weekly all year. Those immaculate swim spots were primarily found in Orange County.
Those beaches are:
Dana Point Harbor Fuel Dock (Orange)
Huntington Harbor, Seagate Lagoon (Orange)
Huntington Harbor, Trinidad Lane Beach (Orange)
Newport Bay, Promontory Point (Orange)
Dana Point, South Capistrano Bay Community Beach (Orange)
Riviera Beach (Orange)
Emerald Bay Beach (Orange)
Marine Science Institute Beach (Orange)
Salt Creek Beach (Orange)
Point Loma, Lighthouse (San Diego)
Encinitas, Moonlight Beach, Cottonwood Creek (San Diego)
County Line Beach (Ventura)
