CA Beach Water Quality: Does Your Favorite Make The Grade?

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — How clean is your favorite California beach? Of the 500 beaches surveyed in the Golden State, 35 received perfect grades, according to the 31st annual Heal the Bay Beach Report Card.

All 500 beaches in California were graded from A+ to F based on a year's worth of collected measurements of bacterial pollution and overall cleanliness and water quality. Samples were collected by health officials between April and October 2020, researchers said. The ongoing drought created concerns about the future of California's beach quality once the rains return.

Heal the Bay ranked all of California's freshwater fails, "Beach Bummers" and "Honor Rolls," awarding 93 percent of all California's beaches A or B grades.

Download the full Beach Report Card here.

Orange County had the most beaches with perfect grades in the state. For the second year, San Mateo County had one of the dirtiest beaches in the state, and Los Angeles County's Mother's Beach in Marina Del Rey failed once again, according to the report.

"Polluted waters pose a significant health risk to millions of people in California," the study said. "People who come into contact with water at a C grade or lower are at greater risk of contracting illnesses such as stomach flu, ear infections, upper respiratory infections and rashes."

In California, the biggest Beach Bummers included beaches in San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Humboldt and Santa Cruz counties.

The Top 10 Beach Bummers

1. Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Tijuana River mouth – San Diego County.
2. Foster City, Erckenbrack Park – San Mateo County.
3. Capitola Beach, west of jetty – Santa Cruz County.
4. Foster City, Gull Park – San Mateo County.
5. Marina del Rey Mother’s Beach, between Lifeguard Tower and Boat dock – Los Angeles County.
6. Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, three-quarters of a mile north of Tijuana River – San Diego County.
7. Clam Beach County Park at Strawberry Creek – Humboldt County.
8. Foster City, Marlin Park – San Mateo County.
9. Candlestick Point, Windsurfer Circle – San Francisco County.
10. East Beach at Mission Creek – Santa Barbara County.

A total of 35 beaches had a perfect score and made it on the Honor Roll, according to Heal the Bay. These beaches had perfect water quality grades all year long, though the list had seven fewer beaches than the previous annual report.

Orange County topped the Honor Roll, followed by Los Angeles, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Alameda counties. Each county had at least one beach with a perfect water quality grade.

California's A+ Honor Roll Beaches

1. Crown Beach, at Sunset Road – Alameda County.
2. Royal Palms State Beach – Los Angeles County.
3. Leo Carrillo Beach, at Arroyo Sequit Creek – Los Angeles County.
4. Puerco State Beach, at creek mouth – Los Angeles County.
5. Las Flores State Beach, at Las Flores Creek – Los Angeles County.
6. Broad Beach, at Trancas Creek – Los Angeles County.
7. Escondido State Beach, at Escondido Creek – Los Angeles County.
8. Nicholas Beach, at San Nicholas Canyon Creek – Los Angeles County.
9. Newport Bay, Promontory Point – Orange County.
10. Crystal Cove (CSDOC) – Orange County.
11. Newport Beach, at Orange Street – Orange County.
12. Newport Beach, at 52nd/53rd Street – Orange County.
13. Balboa Beach Pier – Orange County.
14. Balboa Beach, The Wedge – Orange County.
15. Crystal Cove – Orange County.
16. 1000 Steps Beach, at 9th Street – Orange County.
17. North Aliso County Beach – Orange County.
18. Treasure Island Beach – Orange County.
19. Carlsbad, at Encina Creek – San Diego County.
20. Carlsbad, at Palomar Airport Road – San Diego County.
21. Solana Beach, Tide Beach Park at Solana Vista Drive – San Diego County.
22. Guadalupe Dunes – Santa Barbara County.
23. El Capitan State Beach – Santa Barbara County.
24. China Beach, at Sea Cliff Avenue – San Francisco County.
25. Ocean Beach, at Lincoln Way – San Francisco County.
26. Sewers at Silver Shoals Drive – San Luis Obispo County.
27. Morro Bay City Beach, at Atascadero – San Luis Obispo County.
28. Pismo State Beach, 330 yards north of Pier Avenue – San Luis Obispo County.
29. Hollywood Beach, at Los Robles Street – Ventura County.
30. C.I. Harbor, at Hobie Beach Lakeshore Drive – Ventura County.
31. Oil Piers Beach, south of storm drain – Ventura County.
32. Silverstrand, at Sawtelle Avenue – Ventura County.
33. Ormond Beach, 50 yards north of Oxnard industrial drain – Ventura County.
34. Ormond Beach, at Arnold Road – Ventura County.
35. Faria County Park, at stairs – Ventura County.

How Does A Drought Affect Water Quality?

During dry winter conditions, 92 percent of beaches scored an A or B. But during wet weather, just 57 percent of beaches received top marks.

Wet weather results may be skewed by lower-than-usual water sampling during the period, with five counties not collecting any samples during wet weather, the report said. Poor wet-weather grades are concerning, given that rainfall in coastal counties was 41 percent below the historical average over the winter, yet the beach quality grades still fell, the report added.

Shelley Luce, Heal the Bay's president and CEO, said in the report that climate change continued to present challenges for the coastline.

"All regions of California are experiencing extreme or exceptional drought conditions in 2021," Luce said. "Although decreases in rainfall generally improve water quality, our beaches and ocean ecosystems are still threatened by sea-level rise, ocean acidification and other pollution sources. This is alarming as we expect people to increasingly seek out ocean beaches and freshwater swimming holes to cool off as local temperatures rise."

The report was endorsed by the State Water Resources Control Board.