Beaches are among most polluted in California, report says
Six of 10 beaches identified on the annual Beach Bummer list are in San Mateo County
California’s beaches, when open, have provided residents a respite from the coronavirusinduced shelter-in-place orders. However, there are parts of the coastline that are better than others.
If you’re planning a beach day, it might be best to avoid San Mateo County, where an “unprecedented” number of beaches appeared on the annual Beach Bummer list for 2020, which ranks the most polluted beaches in the state.
Six of the 10 to make the list are in San Mateo County, with Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at San Vicente Creek Outlet just north of Half Moon Bay coming in the top spot — the first time it has appeared on the Bummer List.
More than half the beaches monitored in San Mateo County received grades of C or lower, including seven failing grades.
The organization Heal The Bay, which focuses on improving water quality and keeping people safe at the beach, has issued the annual Beach Report Card for the past 30 years. It evaluates more than 500 beaches beaches based on three sets of grades: summer dry weather, winter dry weather and winter wet weather. The report’s authors called it “unprecedented” for six beaches in one county to appear on the Bummer List.
Of the more than 500 beaches in the report, 92% received an A or B grade for their summer conditions. Overall water quality was better than in 2019, mostly because of 12% less rainfall, leading to less bacteria and other pollutants running into the ocean through storm drains. In wet weather, only 65% of the state’s beaches earned “good” or “excellent” grades, the report said, compared with 91% during dry winter weather.
The quality of beach water has trended up since the first report card in 1990. Since 2015, grades have gone down — but because of changes in sampling, not water quality. Researchers began collecting “zero-point” samples in 2015, which offer a more precise gauge of pollutants. The grades are determined by measuring the level of “fecal indicator bacteria” in weekly water samples; they do not take into account trash or toxins in the water.
Cowell Beach in Santa Cruz County has been a frequent member of the Beach Bummer list — even dubbed the “dirtiest beach” in California once by the same report. A campaign to clean up the beach has installed bird-deterrent netting under the pier, repaired sewer lines and diverted polluted lagoon water before it can reach the ocean, according to the report — enough to avoid the dubious honor this year.
In Santa Cruz County, 93% of its beaches received an A or B grade. The 40 beaches between San Francisco and Marin counties all received top marks, and seven of eight in Alameda and Contra Costa counties did, too.
The report called San Mateo County’s performance “abysmal.” Its beaches graded far below the county’s five-year average, with 44% receiving A or B grades in the most recent report, compared with 84% over the past five years.
The other San Mateo beaches to make the Bummer List include three at Pillar Point Harbor, leading the authors to conclude “that the entire harbor was more polluted than normal this past year.” Linda Mar Beach at San Pedro Creek also made its third appearance on the list, and Erckenbrack Park in Foster City made its first appearance.
Only one Bay Area beach — Bean Hollow State Beach in San Mateo County — made the report’s Honor Roll, but mostly because there were not enough samples collected during the winter.
The total number of beaches to make that list was higher this year (42) than the previous two years (33 in 2019, 37 in 2018), which the report attributes to the decrease in rainfall.
BEACH BUMMER LIST
Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at San Vicente Creek Outlet (San Mateo County) Poche Beach at Creek Outlet (Orange County) Pillar Point Harbor at Capistrano Avenue (San Mateo County) Foster City, Erckenbrack Park (San Mateo County) Topanga Beach at Creek Outlet (Los Angeles County) Pillar Point Harbor Beach (San Mateo County) Linda Mar Beach at San Pedro Creek (San Mateo County) Mission Bay, Vacation Isle North Cove (San Diego County) San Clemente Pier (Orange County) Pillar Point Harbor at Westpoint Avenue (San Mateo County)
HONOR ROLL
• Crescent City, at Battery Point Lighthouse (Del Norte County)
• Palos Verdes Estates, at Palos Verdes Cove (Los Angeles County)
• Rancho Palos Verdes, Long Point (Los Angeles County)
• Redondo State Beach, at Topaz Street (Los Angeles County)
• Asilomar State Beach, at Arena Ave. (Monterey County)
• Monterey State Beach (Monterey County) • Spanish Bay (Moss Beach), at 17 mile drive (Monterey County)
• Bolsa Chica Reserve, at Flood Gates (Orange County)
• Dana Point Harbor Youth Dock (Orange County)
• Dana Point, at Camino Estrella (Orange County)
• Dana Strands Beach (Orange County)
• Laguna Beach, at Goff Island Beach (Orange County)
• Laguna Lido (Orange County)
• Marine Science Institute Beach (Orange County)
• Mariposa Beach (Orange County)
• Muddy Creek Beach (Orange County)
• Newport Bay, Via Genoa Beach (Orange County)
• Newport Beach, at 52nd/53rd streets (Orange County)
• Riviera Beach (Orange County)
• San Clemente, at Avenida Calafia (Orange County)
• San Clemente, at Avenida Las Palmeras (Orange County)
• San Clemente, at El Portal storm drain (Orange County)
• South Aliso County Beach (Orange County)
• Surfside Beach, at Sea Way (Orange County)
• Table Rock (Orange County)
• Treasure Island Beach (Orange County) • Victoria Beach (Orange County)
• Cardiff State Beach, at Charthouse parking (San Diego County)
• Cardiff State Beach, Las Olas, 100 yards south of Charthouse (San Diego County)
• Carlsbad, at Cerezo Drive (San Diego County)
• Carlsbad, at Encina Creek (San Diego County)
• Carlsbad, at Palomar Airport Road (San Diego County)
• Carlsbad, at Poinsettia Lane (San Diego County)
• Carlsbad, at Ponto Drive (San Diego County)
• Encinitas, San Elijo State Park at north end near stairs (San Diego County)
• Oceanside, St. Malo Beach downcoast from St. Malo Road (San Diego County)
• Solana Beach, Tide Beach Park at Solana Vista Drive (San Diego County)
• Bean Hollow State Beach (San Mateo County)
• Guadalupe Dunes (Santa Barbara County)
• Morro Bay City Beach, 75 feet north of main parking lot (San Luis Obispo County)
• San Simeon State Beach, at Pico Ave. (San Luis Obispo County)
• Silverstrand , at San Nicholas Ave. (Ventura County)