Visitors to most Los Angeles County beaches can rest assured that the ocean water is free of harmful levels of bacteria, according to a new report released Wednesday.
Environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay said in its 34th annual Beach Report Card that about 90 percent of West Coast beaches are safe to swim at, even during hotter months when more people are taking to the water.
The report, based on 2023 data, gave a total of 648 beaches, from Canada to Mexico, a grade from A to F.
But despite the overall positive results, two Los Angeles County beaches, Santa Monica Pier and Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey, received failing grades under Heal the Bay’s rating system.
“The same thing that makes Mother’s Beach such a great place to swim and take kids — the fact that it’s really calm — is the same thing that’s causing it to have higher than acceptable levels of harmful bacteria,” said Tracy Quinn, president and CEO of Heal the Bay. “The water there is pretty stagnant.”
The LA Department of Public Health is recommending that visitors avoid certain beaches due to bacterial overgrowth, John Cadiz Klemack reports on Today in LA, Thursday, June 20, 2024.
As for the Santa Monica Pier, Quinn said the city has invested heavily in stormwater capture, and Heal the Bay is working with the city to investigate the source of the excess bacteria.
“We don’t yet know whether it’s the birds we see on our beaches that are nesting and causing the bacterial overgrowth, or if it’s stormwater that’s causing it,” Quinn said.
Heal the Bay is encouraging residents to avoid swimming within 100 yards of river outlets and storm drains along the coast, including the Santa Monica Pier.