> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Healing the bay
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/healing-the-bay/
- Published: 2002-09-04T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:43:02.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Malibu, #archive-import

*By Shelley Luce Staff Scientist, Heal the Bay*

Editor: Thank you for the front-page article on pollution levels in Santa Monica Bay (Santa Monica’s bay pollution level improving, 8/27/02). This is an important issue in our community and I appreciate your paper’s coverage.

I would like to clarify a statement attributed to me in this article. It is incorrect to write “There is no time during the peak swimming season that bacteria exceed health standards.” When I said this, I was explaining a new regulation that will take effect three years from now. Once it takes effect, there should be no time when bacteria exceed health standards during dry weather.

At present, there may be days when bacteria exceed health standards. This mainly occurs near flowing storm drains and in certain enclosed beaches. The best way to find out if a beach is safe for swimming is the check the Beach Report Card at www.healthebay.org.

One further clarification: I stated that “If it has been raining, you couldn’t pay me to surf at Malibu or Surfrider”. To truncate this statement to just the last half gives readers the wrong impression about water quality at those beaches. I enjoy surfing at Surfrider very much, when it receives an A grade on the Beach Report Card as it has most of this summer.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 4, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/090402.pdf?ref=smdp.com)