Clear the lineup. Photo: Screenshot//Brad Jacobson
The water quality at Los Angeles County beaches isn’t exactly world famous for purity and cleanliness. Still, to live in most parts of Southern California, Los Angeles especially, means treating the don’t-surf-for-72-hours-after-it-rains rule as a guideline to be bargained with (translation: ignored). We stretch the public health recommendation to “I just won’t paddle out under that sewage drain” and call it a day. But hey, if it’s firing it’ll be worth it, right?
Los Angeles has been wading through a long stretch of high bacteria levels in Santa Monica Bay waters, though. And it has nothing to do with a rain advisory. Officials conduct beach water testing multiple times each week through the county and have been reporting high bacteria levels across several beaches for months.
Angelenos celebrated their unofficial kickoff to summer over Memorial Day weekend with a warning from the county’s Public Health Department to steer clear of swimming and surfing at seven different beaches across the county, citing “bacterial levels exceeding health standards when last tested.” Malibu’s Surfrider Beach, including the famed and never empty First Point, appeared on that late-May advisory. Nearly a month and a half later and the L.A. County Public Health Department is still advising the public to stay away from the water north and south of the lagoon as well as the water near the pier because those bacteria levels are still high. On top of that, the public advisory list has grown from seven beaches in late May to more than double now (15). Here’s a look at the impacted beaches:
· Las Flores Creek at Las Flores State Beach
The entire swim area.
· Santa Monica Canyon Creek at Will Rogers State Beach. Near Will Rogers Tower 18
100 yards up and down the coast from the creek.
· Topanga Canyon Beach in Malibu
100 yards up and down the coast from the lagoon.
· Mothers Beach in Marina Del Rey
The entire swim area.
· Malibu Lagoon at Surfrider Beach
100 yards up and down the coast from the public restrooms.
· Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica
100 yards up and down the coast from the pier.
· Trancas Creek at Zuma Beach
100 yards up and down the coast from the creek.
· Malibu Pier in Malibu
100 yards up and down the coast from the pier.
· Inner Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro
The entire swim area.
· Escondido Creek at Escondido State Beach
The entire swim area.
· Walnut Creek at Paradise Cove
The entire swim area.
· Solstice Creek at Dan Blocker County Beach
The entire swim area.
· Marie Canyon Storm Drain at Puerco Beach
100 yards up and down the coast from the public access steps.
· Sweetwater Canyon Storm Drain at Carbon Canyon Beach
The entire swim area.
· Castlerock Storm Drain at Topanga County Beach
The entire swim area.
· Ramirez Creek at Paradise Cove
100 yards up and down the coast from the Paradise Cove Pier.
· Pico-Kenter storm drain at Santa Monica Beach – Santa Monica South Tower 20
100 yards up and down the coast from the storm drain.
