California beach water quality report is in!
The annual report that gives hundreds of California beaches letter grades on the basis of water quality is in, and water quality at Los Angeles County beaches has worsened a bit from last year. Only 75% of L.A. County beaches earned As or Bs, down from 80% the year before. Water quality statewide in California dipped slightly but remained “very good to excellent,” according to the report released on May 25.
In L.A. County, poor water quality at historically dirty beaches in Malibu, Avalon, and Long Beach dragged down overall grades for the county. There hasn’t been much progress reducing major beach pollution from sources like the Los Angeles River, Malibu Creek, and Topanga Creek, according to Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay. In Long Beach, the water quality grades dropped 40% after three years of improvement, and only 1/3 of the beaches received a grade of A or B for the period April 2010 to March 2011.
A major success story was the popular beach south of the Santa Monica Pier, which earned an A after years of being one of the most polluted beaches in the state.
Eight beaches in Los Angeles County earned Fs year round, and the county had four of the most polluted beaches in the state, more than any other county! Those beaches are Avalon Beach on Santa Catalina Island, Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, Topanga State Beach, and Colorado Lagoon in Long Beach.
Beaches in San Diego, Orange, and Ventura counties had outstanding water quality on the whole, with exceptions like Doheny State Beach and Poche Beach in San Clemente.
Heal the Bay has released the report for 21 years, and this year added information about beaches in Oregon and Washington for the first time. Heal the Bay plans to release an app this summer so that beachgoers can access the latest water quality grades on their mobile devices.
The 10 WORST beaches for water quality in California in the report are:
- Cowell Beach – at the wharf (Santa Cruz County)
- Avalon Harbor Beach on Catalina Island (L.A. County)
- Cabrillo Beach harborside (L.A. County)
- Topanga State Beach at creek mouth (L.A. County)
- Poche Beach (Orange County)
- North Beach/Doheny (Orange County)
- Arroyo Burro Beach (Santa Barbara County)
- Baker Beach at Lobos Creek (San Francisco County)
- Colorado Lagoon (Los Angeles County)
- Capitola Beach – west of the jetty (Santa Cruz County)
-Bill at
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