On Wednesday, environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay released its 34th annual Beach Report Card, assigning grades to approximately 700 beaches along the Pacific Coast based on levels of bacterial pollution. Lower grades mean a greater chance of getting beachgoers sick, and Santa Monica’s premier beach location was given an unfortunate grade.
Out of the 10 most polluted beaches in summer dry weather along the West Coast in 2023-24, the Santa Monica Pier ranked third, and was put right at the top out of Los Angeles County beaches. The only beaches that were graded as more polluted were the Tijuana River Mouth in San Diego County and Playa Blanca in Baja, Mexico.
The "F" grade given to the ocean surrounding the Pier, the report states, is due to a number of environmentally-harmful factors.
"The City of Santa Monica has wrestled for years with poor water quality at the Pier, which is plagued with droppings from roosting birds and urban runoff," the report stated.
To attempt to combat this, Santa Monica Council unanimously approved new rules this past November that prohibit feeding birds and animals in the area. The city also installed netting under the Pier to discourage pigeon roosting and nesting in 2023.
Those that come in contact with water with an "F" grade, the report added, are at a greater risk of contracting illnesses like stomach flu, ear infections, upper respiratory infections and rashes. The Pier wasn’t the only Westside beach noted as polluted, as the Marina del Rey Mother’s Beach was ranked as the ninth-most polluted beach in the report.
"The enclosed Mother’s Beach … might attract families because of its placid waters, but very poor circulation has led to chronic bacterial exceedances," the report said. "Families beware."
Water quality at California beaches declined on the whole from 2023 to 2024, with 89% of monitored state beaches receiving an "A" or "B" water quality grade, a 6% drop from the previous report card. The number of "A" or "B" grades plummeted to 66% of the 501 beaches monitored in the state during the dry winter season (November 2023-March 2024), due to coastal counties in the state receiving 31% more rainfall during the winter reporting period than the 10-year average.
"The deluge flushed bacteria and other pollutants through storm drains into the ocean and caused numerous sewage spills, which dramatically impacted water quality beyond the typical three-days warning post-rainfall," the report added.
Heal the Bay CEO and President Tracy Quinn noted that while the majority of California beaches were "safe to swim at," some infrastructure still needs to catch up to modern climate challenges.
"We are still seeing water quality impacts from record-breaking storms, urban runoff and sewage spills," Quinn said. "California’s 20th century water infrastructure was not designed to address the challenges faced by climate change in the 21st century. We need to upgrade outdated sewage treatment facilities and prioritize public investment in nature-based, multi-benefit stormwater capture infrastructure."
To see the annual report, visit healthebay.org or continue to check the Daily Press for weekly beach cleanliness grades provided by Heal the Bay.
