Heal the Bay, the environmental nonprofit advocacy group based in Santa Monica, released its 34th annual Beach Report Card earlier this week, indirectly advising Angelenos on which bodies of water they should feel safe to visit.
Each year, the organization assigns grades to the approximately 700 beaches along the Pacific Coast. The grading system—from A to F—is based on the levels of bacterial pollution.
“The lower the grade, the greater the chance of ocean-users getting sick,” explains an official press release.
Santa Monica Pier and Marina del Rey’s Mother’s Beach have the dubious honor of landing on Heal the Bay’s list of the most polluted West Coast beaches, plagued by a mix of bird droppings and urban runoff for the former and bacteria-fostered poor circulation at the latter. And a half-dozen freshwater sites (all related to the L.A. River) received a failing grade.
It’s worth noting that although these represent the dirtiest beaches and creeks in L.A., the vast majority of monitored areas (89% of them, to be precise) received a grade of A or B for the summer season. Although that’s a 6% drop from last year's results, you can rest assured that, generally speaking, the majority of beaches are safe to swim in during the warmer months.
Things look a bit different in the winter, though.
“During the dry winter season (Nov 2023–March 2024), only 66% of the 501 beaches monitored in California received overall A or B grades, well below the state’s 10-year winter average,” reads the report.
According to the study, water quality was impacted by sewage spills caused by the flushing of bacteria and other pollutants through storm drains into the ocean, itself the result of an increased amount of rainfall during the season.
“Eighty-nine percent of California beaches were safe to swim at during summer 2023, but we are still seeing water quality impacts from record-breaking storms, urban runoff, and sewage spills,” said Tracy Quinn, Heal the Bay’s CEO and president, in an official statement. “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 We need to upgrade outdated sewage treatment facilities and prioritize public investment in nature-based, multi-benefit stormwater capture infrastructure.”
Those interested can play around with the report card online right here. You’ll be able to consult the map and understand which destinations are cleaner than others. You may also search for a beach based on your water quality preferences.
Below, find the 10 most polluted beaches in the summer along the West Coast:
1. Tijuana River Mouth in San Diego County
2. Playa Blanca in Baja, Mexico
3. Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles County
4. Tijuana Slough in San Diego County
5. Linda Mar Beach in San Mateo County
6. Lakeshore Park in San Mateo County
7. Imperial Beach at Seacoast Drive in San Diego County
8. Border Field State Park in San Diego County
9. Marina del Rey Mother’s Beach in Los Angeles County
10. El Faro in Baja, Mexico
And six freshwater sites that received a failing grade:
L.A. River at Compton Creek (L.A. River Watershed–Lower)
L.A. River at Compton Creek Confluence (L.A. River Watershed–Lower)
Bull Creek (L.A. River Watershed–Upper)
Tujunga Wash at Hansen Dam (L.A. River Watershed–Upper)
L.A. River at Willow St. (L.A. River Watershed–Lower)
L.A. River at the confluence of Rio Hondo (L.A. River Watershed–Lower)