Some Areas Got a Failing Grade, While Others Got an A+ in a New Report
By Zach Armstrong
Waters surrounding Will Rogers State Beach got mixed reviews on pollution and contamination from environmental non-profit organization Heal the Bay’s 2022-2023 Annual Beach & River Report.
The area at Pulga Canyon storm drain got an A+ for summer and winter conditions but a failing grade for wet conditions (after rainfall). The areas at Bel Air Bay Club and at Temescal Canyon got an A in summer conditions and an A + for wet conditions. The area at Santa Monica Canyon got an A for summer conditions but failed winter and wet conditions.
Coastal counties in California got 50% more rainfall than the decade average during the winter months, while the state saw 19 large storm events from October 2022 to March 2023, far more than the six the state usually gets.
The extreme amounts of precipitation caused landslides, floods, power outages and blizzards. The rainfall had multiple negative impacts on water quality by washing pollutants such as bacteria into the ocean, leading to a decline in Wet Weather Grades.
