According to the 33rd annual beach report from the environmental non-profit organization Heal the BayFive of the most polluted beaches in California are in San Mateo County. However, it also has the best.
The study published this Wednesday, specifies that California beaches have been affected by 50 percent more precipitation than in the last 10 years during the last winter months, along with an alarming 45 million gallons of sewage discharged, negatively affecting water quality along coastal waterways.
Thus, Playa Linda Mar ranked third in the worst beaches in the state, followed by Marlin Park in fourth, Erckenbrack Park in fifth, Pillar Point Harbor in seventh, and Gull Park in tenth place.
Although overall quality remains very good in dry weather, Bean Hollow State Beach in San Mateo County and Point Loma Lighthouse in San Diego County were the only two beaches on the List of Honor 2022-2023?compared to 50 in 2021?, due to the large amount of rainfall.
Notably, Heal the Bay's Beach Bummer List ranks the most polluted beaches in California based on the levels of harmful bacteria in the ocean. The Beach Bummer 2022-2023 list includes beaches in Los Angeles, San Mateo, San Diego and Orange counties, as well as the Tijuana area of Mexico.
This year, the Santa Monica Pier and Playa Blanca in Tijuana tied for first place for worst beaches, as both faced significant water quality issues. The city of Santa Monica is actively addressing the water quality issues at the pier, and they suspect that bird fecal matter is a major contributing factor to the poor water quality, however the jury is still out, he noted. the organization.
Playa Blanca, along with the nearby mouth of the Tijuana River, ranked as the sixth most polluted beach, which is affected by sewage-contaminated runoff from the Tijuana area, which lacks sufficient sewage infrastructure in certain regions.
Mother's Beach in Marina del Rey, a perennial nuisance due to low traffic, entered the list at number 8 this year. And in Orange County, Poche Beach in Dana Point received runoff from a storm drain located directly on the beach, contributing to poor water quality.
The good news is that 95 percent of the California beaches evaluated by Heal the Bay received an A or B rating during the summer of 2022, which is about average. Even so, Heal the Bay scientists remain deeply concerned about the quality of ocean water.
Contaminated water poses a significant health risk to millions of people in California, as those who come in contact with water with a grade C or lower are at increased risk of contracting diseases such as stomach infections, ear infections, upper respiratory infections. and skin rashes.
Beaches and rivers often have poor water quality after a rainy episode. Less rain typically means fewer pollutants, including bacteria, being washed through storm drains and rivers into the ocean.
Sewage discharges pose a greater health risk and cause the immediate closure of the beaches, which must be attended to until public officials clear the area.
“As climate change continues to wreak havoc with the weather, our water problems will go from scarcity to pollution. Record rainfall this year has had a significant impact on water quality along the entire California coast,” said Tracy Quinn, President and CEO of Heal the Bay.
“Now more than ever, we must prioritize multi-benefit projects to manage stormwater as a solution for both water quality and supply, all while ensuring the public is kept informed of the risks to public health," he stressed.
For more than 30 years, Heal the Bay has assigned annual "A to F" grades to 700 beaches from Washington state to Tijuana, Mexico, including 500 California beaches in the 2022-2023 report, based on pollution levels fecal bacteria in the ocean as measured by county health agencies.
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