Here's How Santa Monica Ranked On An Annual Beach Report Card

MARINA DEL REY, CA — Beaches around the state had excellent water quality last summer, according to an environmental group's annual honor roll of coastline quality grades. Several Los Angeles County beaches made the honor roll but others did not fare as well.

Two locations in Marina del Rey, unfortunately, were listed on the "Beach Bummer" list on Heal the Bay’s Annual Beach Report Card & River Report Card. The list details the ten poorest grades given during the summer months.

"Mother’s Beach is home to two Beach Bummer locations this year, which is not a surprise given this beach’s history," according to the report.

Poor water quality has been a consist a problem at Mother's Beach since Heal the Bay started the report card 30 years ago.

The characteristics of Mother's Beach that make the beach a great destination for families are the same that make vulnerable to bacteria pollution. This is because the beach is enclosed with little wave action or water circulation, so pollution does not get flushed away from the shore the way it would at open ocean beaches.

Los Angeles County was given excellent "summer dry grades" with 90 percent of county beaches receiving an A or B grade. But wet weather grades weren't as impressive with only 46 percent of beaches receiving a high grade, which is above average for the county.

Within the county, beaches making the grade were Venice City Beach at Brooks Avenue, Rancho Palos Verdes Long Point, Royal Palms State Beach, Palos Verdes Estates at Malaga Cove Trail outlet, Las Tunas County Beach at Pena Creek and Nicholas Beach at San Nicholas Canyon Creek.

The county had three beaches on the "bummer" list of the 10 most polluted beaches. Two of those beaches were stretches of Mother's Beach in Marina del Rey, while the third was the Santa Monica Pier, which returned to the list after being absent last year. Mother's Beach in the Marina is an almost annual fixture on the Beach Bummer List, thanks to its enclosed location with little water movement.

A total of 51 beaches around the state landed on Heal the Bay's honor roll, indicating top-rate water quality grades recorded year-round. Orange County led the way with 19 beaches making the cut, up from 10 last year. Los Angeles County had six beaches on the list, down from seven last year.

On the report’s “beach bummer” list, the ten poorest grades given during the summer months. In the Golden State, Marlin Park in San Mateo County; Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles County; Marina del Rey in Los Angeles County; Moonstone County Park in Humboldt County and Mother’s Beach in Los Angeles County all garnered poor marks.

Polluted ocean water can pose major health risks to swimmers and surfers, according to Heal the Bay. Those who enter waters that received a C grade or lower in the report are at risk of illnesses including stomach flu, ear infections, upper respiratory infections and rashes.

Some 94 percent of California beaches tested for water quality received A or B grades during the summer of 2021, which the environmental group called roughly on par with the five-year average, according to Heal the Bay. But only 66% of California beaches had good or excellent grades during wet weather, which is slightly above the annual average, but "still very concerning," according to Heal the Bay.

"It is wonderful news that most beaches in California have good water quality for swimming," Tracy Quinn, president/CEO of Heal the Bay said in a statement.

"But there are areas with poor water quality that need improvement and infrastructure upgrades. We can't forget that our marine ecosystems are still threatened by the climate crisis and other pollution sources, and we need solutions to address these pressing issues as well. We expect people to increasingly seek out ocean shorelines and freshwater swimming holes to cool off as temperatures rise, so safe, clean and healthy water is needed now more than ever."
Read the full report here.

City News Service contributed to this report.