Some of the most polluted beaches in California are in LA County. Santa Monica Pier placed sixth and Mother's Beach in Marina del Rey ranked ninth. Some beaches in Orange County also received a less than desirable scores.
Heal the Bay's Annual Beach Report Card states that about 93 percent of LA County beaches got "A" grades during the busy summer season from April to October of 2016. Unfortunately, the winter rains this year sent billions of gallons of polluted runoff into the ocean during the 2016 winter months. Almost half of the LA county's 85 beaches earned an "F" grade.
"We want people catching waves, not bugs, when they head to the beach," said Sarah Sikich, vice president of Heal the Bay. "The reassuring news is that if you swim at an open-ocean beach in the summer away from storm-drains and creek mouths you statistically have very little risk of getting ill."
In Orange County two beaches were also on the 'bummer list', the San Clemente Pier placing second and Monarch Beach in Dana Point ranked 10th. The most polluted beach in the state was Clam Beach County Park in Humboldt County.
But in a state known for beaches we still have 14 beaches in Orange County on Heal the Bay's "Honor Roll" for clean water. In Los Angeles County two beaches in Malibu were listed on the Honor Roll, along with Bluff Cove in Palos Verdes Estates and Portuguese Bend Cove in Rancho Palos Verdes.