Once again, the water around the Santa Monica Pier was some of the dirtiest in the state, marring an otherwise positive report card from environmental watchdog Heal the Bay, now in its 17th year of issuing annual grades for more than 500 beaches statewide.
While the pier draws millions of visitors each year, people may not want to swim in the water around it after Heal the Bay ranked it as one of the top-10 most polluted beaches in California, earning an “F” for water quality. A poor grade means beachgoers face a higher risk of contracting illnesses,such as stomach flu,ear infections, upper respiratory infections and skin rashes than swimmers at cleaner beaches.
“The public has a right to water quality information that will help them make informed decisions about where to take their families swimming,” said Mark Gold, president of the Santa Monica-based group.“The Beach Report Card is a public service, helping everyone understand which beaches they can visit without fear of getting sick.
Statewide, water quality this season has been above average, due in large part to the record-low rainfall in much of the state, Gold said. From San Luis Obispo County north to Humboldt County, more than 90 percent of the beaches earned an “A” grade.
Southern California didn’t fare so well, especially Los Angeles County and the Long Beach area, which suffered a dramatic drop in water quality during the last year. Of the 28 Long Beach locations monitored, 24 registered a “C,” “D” or “F,” a significant change for a city that has a history of good water quality.
As a result, the city of Long Beach has the dubious distinction of being ranked as the number-one “Beach Bummer” in this year’s report.
“We are starting to see some of the Santa Monica Bay beaches clean up, but we still have some chronically polluted locations,” Gold said. “LA County, by far, had the worst water quality in the state, and there’s something going on in Long Beach that has us all perplexed... We haven’t seen anything like it.
“Here at home (in Santa Monica), we have a couple of spots that need to be addressed, including the per, which is at the bottom as one of the most polluted.”
Gold said that LA County fared worse than others because officials are monitoring pollution directly in front of flowing stormdrains and creeks. LA and portions of San Diego are the only regions to test such hotspots.
City officials said they are working to address poor water quality around the pier — one of the most popular attractions in Southern California and an important asset to the city. In a partnership with Heal the Bay, a study was conducted last year on the level of fecal bacteria around the pier. Researchers discovered a high level of fecal bacteria coming from two possible sources — the large bird population nesting underneath the pier and an outdated, overwhelmed pier storm drain system that is allowing water to bypass the urban runoff treatment center and leak into the bay.
“The issue with the pier is something we are well aware of and are working very diligently for a solution,” said Dean Kubani, director of environmental programs for City Hall. “Santa Monica is doing more than just about any other city in the region to keep the bay clean, from our Santa Monica Urban Runoff Recycling Facility, which was the first of its kind, to a number of other types of control measure to keep trash and other pollutants from entering into the beach.”
City Hall is working on completing a diversion project that would funnel all runoff during dry weather into the sewer, and with money from Measure V — approved by voters in November — city staff will begin implementing a watershed management plan that includes funding for improvements to the pier.
“We are in the process of prioritizing (Measure V) projects to figure out what are the most important, most urgent things to focus on and the pier will be right at the top of the list,” Kubani said.
Measure V funds will be available Jan. 1. The special parcel tax is expected to raise approximately $2.35 million annually to cover stormwater operations and maintenance costs, as well as fund around $30 million in capital projects over the next 10 years.
If it was up to Gold, the pier would be the first project funded under Measure V since it is one of the most popular beaches in the region and one of just two dirty beaches in Santa Monica,the other being at the Montana Avenue storm drain, which received a “C.”
Will Rogers State Beach at Temescal Canyon and Santa Monica Canyon drains — two of the most polluted locations last year — received “Bs,” a sign that diversion programs are working. City Hall is nearing completion on two diversion projects along Ocean Avenue at Montana and Wilshire, which should help boost grades.
Santa Monica beaches that were rated some of the best in the state include Gold’s favorite spot — Ocean Park Beach at Ashland Avenue (“A”); Santa Monica Beach at Strand Street (“A”); SM Beach at Pico Boulevard/Kenter storm drain (“A”) and Venice City Beach at Rose Avenue (“A+”).
As in past years, there continues to be a great disparity between dry and wet weather, when water quality typically plummets, because of pollution that rain flushes through the storm drain system and into the ocean, Gold said. While 74 percent of the beaches monitored in Southern California during summer dry weather received “A” grades, that number dropped to only 40 percent during wet weather, with 27 percent of the beaches monitored receiving an “F” grade.
Overall, the report card showed significant improvements in many areas, signaling a shift in attitudes towards water quality.
Regional efforts are making a difference, Gold said.
“In dry weather, we have seen a lot of improvement and that had to do with the record-low rainfall, but also the efforts put in place to clean up some of the more troubling beaches,” Gold said. “In areas like Will Rogers, where we usually had very polluted areas, the beach is perfectly clean. So there have been significant improvements thanks to diversion projects.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 24, 2007. Read the original PDF.