California's Beach Water Quality Grades Released

Los Angeles County beaches are among the state's most bacteria-ridden, according to environmental group Heal the Bay's annual Beach Report Card, released at a Wednesday morning news conference on the Santa Monica Pier.

Only 75 percent of L.A. County's beaches scored A or B grades during year-round dry weather, Heal the Bay reported, a five percent decrease from last year. Still, overall, California's beaches fared well. The reports, which are calculated based on weekly testing across 445 state beaches, show almost 90 percent of our beaches routinely receive A or B grades.

The real issue is rain.

In L.A. County, 46 percent of our beaches get an F during wet weather, when rain overloads drainage systems and pushes sewage and other bacteria out to sea.

Four of the top 10 "Beach Bummers"--Heal the Bay's list of worst-performing beaches--are located in Los Angeles County: Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island, Cabrillo Beach, Topanga State Beach and Colorado Lagoon.

Topanga State Beach, located near Pacific Palisades, was a complete failure, receiving an F in every category and making an appearance on the Beach Bummer List for the first time in five years. That area is the focus of a pilot program to determine the pollution sources, according to the report.

Although Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades didn't make the Beach Bummer List, parts of its stretch received very poor grades. The two major areas of pollution were the drain near the fence at 16801 PCH and the Temescal Canyon drain, both of which experience heavy runoff during wetter times of the year.

"People blame birds or kelp, but that doesn't explain the huge discrepancies between dry weather and rainy weather bacteria levels," said Heal the Bay President Dr. Mark Gold. "A hundred percent of beaches with no drainage got an A in dry weather."

"Soon or later, local government is going to have to generate revenue to clean up our beaches," Gold said.

Gold pointed to where he was standing, the Santa Monica Pier, as an example of how local government can help protect the ocean and swimmers. Santa Monica replaced the storm drain under the pier, and has installed nets to prevent birds. The project was funded by Measure V, the Clean Beaches and Ocean Parcel Tax, which passed in 2006.

"Water quality is very important to public health," said Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Dr. Aliza Lifshitz. She cautioned swimmers and parents to be alert for upper respiratory and intestinal infections, as well as rashes from exposure to bacteria.

She also warned parents about the still waters families tend to flock to. "The areas that seem ideal for young kids are also ideal for bacteria," she said.

This was the 21st year Heal the Bay released a Beach Report Card. Heal the Bay's local partners test the ocean for contaminants year-round, but due to cuts enacted during former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration, state funding for beach monitoring is expected to end this year.

The complete report can be found at www.beachreportcard.org