Here are California's 10 dirtiest beaches. Take a look before you take a dip
For the second year in a row, the area around the Santa Monica Pier was named one of California's 10 dirtiest beaches by Heal the Bay.
The pier-adjacent beach came in at No. 2 this year due to persistent water quality issues, according to the organization's annual Beach Report Card.
Heal the Bay, an environmental nonprofit, monitors beaches along the California coast — testing water samples for fecal bacteria, including coliform, E. coli and enterococcus species. High concentrations of these bacteria indicate the presence of pathogens that could be harmful to beachgoers.
Of the more than 500 beaches that Heal the Bay monitored in 2024, the top 10 dirtiest also included one beach in Baja California, four in San Diego, three in San Mateo County and one in Marin County.
This year's beach grades do not account for wildfire runoff.
In January, rainfall and debris from the catastrophic Los Angeles firestorm prompted officials to issue an ocean water closure and ocean water quality advisory from Surfrider Beach in Malibu to Dockweiler State Beach at World Way in Playa del Rey. The advisories have since been lifted. Public health officials say despite fire-related debris washing ashore, there is little evidence of fire-related toxins in ocean water in high enough concentrations to make someone sick.
Heal the Bay continues to do separate testing specific to the fires and their effects.
The Santa Monica Pier, specifically south of Pico and north of Wilshire boulevards to the pier, is Los Angeles County's only beach to make Heal the Bay's naughty list.
'Every day, families who visit Santa Monica for a day of fun in the sun may be unknowingly risking illness by splashing in polluted waters. It's time for the City of Santa Monica to prioritize efforts to identify and reduce bacteria levels at the Santa Monica Pier,' Tracy Quinn, chief executive of Heal the Bay, said in a statement.
The beach area graded out poorly despite upgrades to the Pier — including storm water capture systems and bird deterrent netting, according to the report. Pollution for the pier remains a problem, worsened by urban runoff and high levels of water-contaminating activities like the disposal of fish guts from recreational fishing, which attracts seabirds.
Out of more than 500 monitored beaches in the state, 62 earned a spot on Heal the Bay's 'honor roll,' a significant improvement from just 12 beaches in last year's report and only two during the 2022-2023 year.
Seven counties — Orange, San Diego, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Mateo and San Francisco — earned top quality marks in this year's report, also a notable increase from previous years.
Southern California beaches typically dominate the 'honor roll' because many counties in Northern and Central California do not monitor water quality year-round.
From April through October, state law requires county governments to test water samples. However, counties are not required to monitor water quality during off-season months, so many counties opt not to do so from November to March.
Orange County dominated the top 10 list of Heal the Bay's 'honor roll' for the second straight year.
The 62-beach 'honor roll' includes 34 in Orange County, 12 in San Diego County, and seven in Los Angeles County. Ventura County has five, San Mateo County has two and Santa Barbara and San Francisco counties each have one.
In L.A. County, the seven 'honor roll' beaches were Dockweiler State Beach at Grand Avenue, Hermosa Beach, Long Point in Rancho Palos Verdes, Manhattan Beach at 28th Street, Nicholas Beach at San Nicholas Canyon Creek mouth, Nicholas Beach 100 feet west of lifeguard tower and Portuguese Bend Cove in Rancho Palos Verdes.
During the 2024 to 2025 monitoring period, Heal the Bay says California saw a noticeable improvement in coastal water quality, which the organization attributed to a very dry summer and winter.
With 9% less rainfall this year compared to the historical 10-year average, fewer pollutants including bacteria, trash and chemicals were washed into storm drains and on to the ocean, according to the report.
Officials recommend staying at least 100 yards away from storm drains and river outlets when entering the water and to always wait at least 72 hours after it rains before going in the ocean.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
12 hours ago
- New York Times
To Discover Real Roman Food, Head to the Neighborhoods
During a recent dinner at a modern Roman trattoria way out in the city sticks, I bonded with strangers at the next table, discovered a new wine, had a pasta epiphany — and smiled at the bill: just over $100 for two, vino included. I love Rome as much as the next Bernini-besotted visitor. But to find the platonic ideal of pasta Amatriciana or trippa alla Romana, I had to leave behind the Centro Storico's cobblestoned piazzas, where faux-Felliniesque tourist mills dish out reheated carbonara to throngs. Instead, my partner and I spent our two weeks in Rome taking the metro and buses to neighborhoods where affordable rents allow creative young chefs to nurture their talents — and their customers' appetites — and where a convivial spirit still thrives. The vibes often recalled Brooklyn or Berlin. But the cooking was rooted in the Roman vernacular, with its guanciale-powered pastas, seasonal vegetables and quinto quarto (a.k.a. offal). 'Young local chefs haven't abandoned Roman tradition,' said Marco Bolasco, author of an indispensable new restaurant guide, 'Roma Food Tour.' 'But they're reinterpreting the city's cuisine with incredible ingredients from the surrounding countryside.' And because of the cost factor, he added, the action was all happening away from the city center. The six places below serve up the delicious proof — but make sure to book in advance. Centocelle I'm still daydreaming about the ravioli at Menabò Vino e Cucina, silky pouches filled with coratella (lamb innards) topped with a green shock of favas, peas and asparagus and pushed into the stratosphere by a haunting sauce of 'smoked milk.' That pasta alone was worth a 40-minute metro trek east of the city center to the formerly working class neighborhood of Centocelle. The Camponeschi brothers (Paolo cooks; Daniele is the wine curator and front of the house) opened Menabò seven years ago — attracted, Daniele explains, by Centocelle's multicultural vibe and community spirit. At their next-gen neighborhood trattoria, bright blue walls and shelves of wine bottles set the scene for Paolo's big brawny flavors with interesting twists. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Common sweetener could hold untapped potential to fight aggressive cancer, study finds
A household sweetener could hold the potential to create an anti-cancer treatment. New research from Hiroshima University in Japan revealed that stevia leaf extract could help fight pancreatic cancer cells. The leaves of the stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana) are used to make stevia extract, a naturally sweet substance commonly used as a sugar substitute. Two Cancer Drugs Show Promise In Reversing Alzheimer's Devastating Effects The study, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, investigated the anti-cancer properties of stevia leaf extract when it is fermented with a certain strain of bacteria. In laboratory research, the fermented extract exhibited "significantly enhanced antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity" against pancreatic cancer cells, the researchers revealed. Read On The Fox News App This led them to believe that this substance could serve as a "promising candidate for pancreatic cancer treatment." Paul E. Oberstein, M.D., medical oncologist and assistant director of the Pancreatic Cancer Center at NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center, shared his thoughts in an interview with Fox News Digital. Ancient 'Pharaoh's Curse' Fungus Shows Promise In Killing Cancer Cells "This is an interesting study because it evaluated something derived from a natural plant (stevia) and showed that it may have utility in stopping cancer cells from growing in the laboratory," he said. "As the authors point out, the actual stevia plant does not seem to have any benefit for stopping cancer, so they had to use a chemical process to change the plant and make it stronger with a fermentation process." Oberstein recommended approaching this with caution, as it is unknown whether altering the plant will lead to side effects or toxicity. The study was not performed on humans, so there is "still a lot that's unknown about whether this will help patients," the oncologist added. As stevia extract alone does not have an impact on cancer cells, Oberstein said these findings most likely will not lead to any immediate changes in treatment plans. "The study suggests that if the stevia can be changed in the lab, it may have an impact, so hopefully they will further test this and determine whether this effect happens when tested in people and if it doesn't cause new side effects," he added. "I hope the researchers keep testing this in various formats and in people." Dr. Kristen Arnold, a surgical oncologist and pancreatic cancer specialist at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute, reacted to these study findings in a separate interview with Fox News Digital. "Pancreatic cancer is a very aggressive malignancy," she said. "And we know that even with the most aggressive of therapies, unfortunately, our outcomes are not good." "As a pancreatic cancer community, we spend a lot of time and there's a lot of ongoing effort into trying to find better modalities to treat this disease." Although more research is needed to confirm these preliminary findings, Arnold said she is encouraged by the study. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter "I think the data's very early to know if it's ultimately going to be a game-changer, but it's very exciting to know that we're finding some positive pre-clinical data," she said. "This is the process of how we discover new treatments – some of which turn out to be absolute game-changers and make dramatic changes in the lives of our patients." "Not all of it pans out, but it's a process of discovery," Arnold added. For those with pancreatic cancer, Arnold recommends seeking out appropriate clinical trial opportunities as new science develops. For more Health articles, visit "The clinical trials are ultimately what determine how we treat patients on a day-to-day basis," she added. Fox News Digital reached out to the study authors for article source: Common sweetener could hold untapped potential to fight aggressive cancer, study finds Solve the daily Crossword
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
High levels of E.coli found at Lake Tahoe beach after sewage leak
Officials are warning the public to stay out of the water near a popular resort on Lake Tahoe's Southern shore this weekend after detecting 'high levels' of E. coli bacteria Friday after a sewage leak. Water quality samples collected near the Camp Richardson Resort revealed elevated levels of Escherichia coli, commonly known as E. coli, according to the U.S. Forest Service's Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Immediately after the E. coli was detected, the resort conducted a sewer line inspection, located a leak and began repairs, the forest service said. 'Although no illnesses have been reported, the public should avoid recreational waters that have been tested and found to have high levels of E. coli,' the forest service said in a news release. The forest service is advising swimmers, paddlers and boaters to stay out of the water from Jameson Beach to the Valhalla Boathouse in South Lake Tahoe, even though levels of E. Coli in test results for samples collected near the boathouse and Jameson Beach do not exceed state standards. One of California's most beloved summer destinations, Lake Tahoe saw officials close beaches on its northern shore last summer after a private contractor drilled through a sewer pipeline in Carnelian Bay, spilling 85,000 gallons of raw sewage into Lake Tahoe. The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board conducted an investigation into the incident and last month Caltrans and the North Tahoe Public Utility District agreed to pay an $850,000 fine. In South Tahoe, the Forest Service's Tahoe Basin Management Unit said Friday that tests in nearby shoreline locations do not indicate elevated bacteria levels. There are no advisories in effect for Pope Beach and Baldwin Beach. According to the Forest Service, officials are collecting and analyzing water samples from Camp Richardson and areas east and west of the resort and will advise the public if they need to take additional precautions or if it's safe to resume normal activities.
