Which freshwater sites in L.A. made the grade in our annual pollution rankings?
Heal the Bay today released its annual ranking of freshwater summer recreation areas in Los Angeles County based on levels of fecal indicator bacteria. Twenty-two (or 64%) of 35 sites received A+, A or B grades for summer 2023.
Those high marks indicate that these areas are safe for swimming, kayaking, fishing and other recreational uses.
The entire greater L.A. watershed – from the mountain to the sea – is all connected. The health of the ocean cannot be separated from the health of the inland waterways that feed it.
So, it’s encouraging that freshwater recreation sites earn safe water quality grades a majority of the time. But there’s room for improvement – especially considering that 90% of L.A. ocean beaches scored very good grades during the same summer period.
The Honor Roll
Ten sites earned an annual A+ grade:
Hansen Dam Lake (L.A. River Watershed – Upper)
Hidden Springs (L.A. River Watershed – Upper)
Big Tujunga Creek at Vogel Flats (L.A. River Watershed – Upper)
Big Tujunga Creek at Delta Flats (L.A. River Watershed – Upper)
Gould Mesa (L.A. River Watershed – Upper)
San Gabriel River Upper West Fork (San Gabriel River Watershed)
San Gabriel River Upper East Fork (San Gabriel River Watershed)
San Gabriel River East Fork at Cattle Canyon (San Gabriel River Watershed)
San Gabriel River at Upper Cattle Canyon (San Gabriel River Watershed)
Malibu Creek at Rock Pool (Malibu Creek Watershed)
The further one travels down the L.A. River Watershed, the worse the water quality. Pollutants enter from runoff that flows from highly urbanized and industrial areas in the lower River. Sites in these areas dominate our list of freshwater spots that chronically score poorly for bacterial pollution.
Freshwater Fails
Six sites received an annual F grade, which placed them on our Freshwater Fails list. Water contact should be avoided in these areas:
L.A. River at Compton Creek (L.A. River Watershed–Lower)
L.A. River at Compton Creek Confluence (L.A. River Watershed–Lower)
Bull Creek (L.A. River Watershed–Upper)
Tujunga Wash at Hansen Dam (L.A. River Watershed–Upper)
L.A. River at Willow St. (L.A. River Watershed–Lower)
L.A. River at the confluence of Rio Hondo (L.A. River Watershed–Lower)
Sources of pollution include urban runoff, leaks or spills from wastewater systems, illegal discharges, and failing wastewater infrastructure. Contact with fecal bacteria can cause a slew of health problems.
Unlike ocean beaches, there is no statewide oversight, standardization, or funding for freshwater bacterial monitoring, nor are there mandated public water quality notifications for freshwater recreational areas. Regulatory permits for discharge into surface waters often require monitoring, but the data collected are not typically shared with the public in an accessible format.
To fill that gap, Heal the Bay has monitored freshwater recreational areas since 2014. We invested in the expanded River Report Card in 2017 and made it available for free to the public.
“Heal the Bay is committed to ensuring everyone is informed about the condition of their local waters,” said Dr. Tania Pineda Enriquez, the staff scientist who assembled this year’s report. “We want to enable all residents to make safe choices when they recreate at our increasingly accessible and popular freshwater recreational areas.”
Heal the Bay’s science and policy team urges local government agencies to take the following steps to better protect public health in freshwater recreation spots:
· Pursue reasonable ratepayer hikes to upgrade outdated sewage treatment facilities and prioritize public investment in nature-based, multi-benefit stormwater capture infrastructure.
· Provide greater transparency and urgency in alerting the public about potential health hazards at pollution-impacted waterways
· Use consistent and comprehensive water quality testing year-round to include established culture-based methods and new rapid testing, where appropriate, with additional studies to evaluate new methods.
We also want to send a special shout-out to our local college students that helped collect and analyze water quality data. The report would not be possible without their diligence and hard work.
We welcomed 12 associates to our river monitoring program last year — the highest number of hires in a single summer to date. Students hailed from California State University Long Beach, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles Trade Technical College, and California State University Los Angeles, with graduates from University of California Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara.
Additionally, our ongoing partnerships with Los Angeles Trade Technical College and California State University Long Beach have significantly expanded our operational reach. By using their laboratory facilities to process river water samples, we have enhanced our capacity for water quality monitoring and analysis.
Climate change, aging infrastructure cited in Heal the Bay’s annual Beach Bummer list.
Heal the Bay issued its 34th annual Beach Report Card today, issuing A-to-F grades to more than 700 beaches along the Pacific Coast based on levels of bacterial pollution in 2023-2024. The lower the grade, the greater the chance of ocean-goers getting sick.
This year’s report is really a story of two seasons – summer and not summer.
The good news is that nearly 90% of monitored California beaches received A or B water-quality grades for the dry-weather summer months. That figure is close to the state’s 10-year summer average, but does mark a 6% drop from our last Report Card.
That means beach lovers had a very good chance of finding a shoreline with safe water quality during the state’s prime ocean recreation period (April-October 2023). To read the entire report and see how your favorite beach fared, please click here.
Southern California beaches (Santa Barbara to San Diego counties) got 90% A or B grades in the summer. NorCal beaches (Del Norte to Marin counties) also earned 90% A or B summer grades, while Central California beaches (San Francisco to San Luis Obispo counties) notched 84% A or B marks. But surfers and other year-round ocean-goers weren’t as fortunate.
During the dry winter season (Nov. 2023-March 2024), only 66% of the 501 beaches monitored in California received overall A or B grades, well below the state’s 10-year winter average.
Coastal counties in California received 31% more rainfall during the winter reporting period than the 10-year average. The deluge flushed bacteria and other pollutants through storm drains into the ocean and caused numerous sewage spills, which dramatically impacted water quality.
The poor winter grades underscore two of the biggest ongoing beach water-quality challenges for the state: worsening climate change and crumbling infrastructure.
More frequent and more severe storms will only exacerbate the urban runoff that pollutes our sea. It’s critical that the state and municipalities invest in more stormwater capture projects that will cleanse, hold and reuse water rather than sending polluted runoff to the sea. It’s a double-win for our drought-challenged state.
Separately, the state is seeing an uptick in sewage spills thanks to overtaxed sanitation systems during storms and to outdated sewer systems that are breaking down because of age or inadequate upkeep. Heal the Bay supports reasonable ratepayer increases to help sanitation agencies keep up with inflation and our new climate reality.
Heal the Bay’s annual Beach Bummer List
Here’s a ranking of the 10 most polluted beaches in Summer Dry Weather along the West coast in 2023-24:
1. Tijuana River Mouth (San Diego County) 2. Playa Blanca (Baja, Mexico) 3. Santa Monica Pier (Los Angeles County) 4. Tijuana Slough (San Diego County) 5. Linda Mar Beach (San Mateo County) 6. Lakeshore Park (San Mateo County) 7. Imperial Beach at Seacoast Drive (San Diego County) 8. Border Field State Park (San Diego County) 9. Marina del Rey Mother’s Beach (Los Angeles County) 10. El Faro (Baja, Mexico)
The Beach Bummers in San Diego County and Baja all suffer from persistent sewage issues. The Tijuana River annually discharges tens of millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the ocean, originating from inadequate sanitation infrastructure in Tijuana. Enhancements are underway, including the U.S. EPA-funded upgrades to the Punta Bandera treatment plant and the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plan. Heal the Bay advises against swimming at these beaches until the upgrades are completed, which may take a decade or more.
The City of Santa Monica has wrestled for years with poor water quality at the Pier, which is plagued with droppings from roosting birds and urban runoff. The enclosed Mother’s Beach in Los Angeles County might attract families because of its placid waters, but very poor circulation has led to chronic bacterial exceedances. Families beware.
In San Mateo County, Linda Mar Beach has been impacted by pollution primarily through San Pedro Creek, which channels urban runoff directly to the ocean. Lakeshore Park, located within a network of stagnant water channels in San Francisco Bay, suffers from poor circulation and chronically impaired water quality.
On a more positive note, 12 California beaches made Heal the Bay’s Honor Roll in this year’s report, meaning they earned perfect A+ grades every week in all summer and winter reporting periods. While that’s reason to celebrate, that total is a notable decrease from the 30-50 sites typically named as Honor Roll beaches in past reports. The very wet winter caused many past honorees to suffer from bacterial exceedances.
Steps you can take to stay healthy at the beach: • Visit beachreportcard.org for weekly grades • Avoid shallow, enclosed beaches with poor water circulation. • Swim at least 100 yards away from flowing storm drains, creeks, and piers. • Stay out of the water for at least 72 hours after a rain event
When you turn on the tap, do you know where your drinking water comes from?
The typical Angeleno has no idea that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power imports nearly a third of its water from the distant Owens Valley, known by the indigenous Paiute people as Payahuunadü, “The Land of the Flowing Water.”
This water (paya) comes through the LA Aqueduct, which diverts Eastern Sierra snowmelt from the Owens River and Owens Lake. Payahuunadü once served as an oasis with plentiful water supplies. The Paiute people (Nüümü) lived off the land, aided by irrigation channels that spread water throughout the valley.
Within a short time period, the City of Los Angeles drastically reshaped the area with a gravity fed water conveyance system hailed as an engineering miracle when it launched in 1913.
But that 233-mile network of channels and conduits had devastating repercussions for the people and the environment that continue to this day. It essentially eliminated the once-thriving Owens Valley ecosystem and any viable farming.
Photo by Teena Pugliese, walking-water.org
This stark reality was brought into sharp focus for Heal the Bay’s science, policy, and outreach team during a recent trip to the Owens Valley. To better understand L.A.’s checkered relationship with water, seven staff members attended a two-day Walk of Resilience and Accountability hosted by Walking Water, a nonprofit aiming to restore our relationships with water, lands, and people.
In the coming weeks, we will share more details of our journey and staff reflections on how to better secure L.A.’s water future while repairing the harm done to the Owens Valley and its people.
The LA Aqueduct brought water to greater LA in response to continued urbanization and growth of the city in the late 1800s and early 1900s. William Mulholland and the city agency he led, which would become LADWP, looked to the north for new sources of water for thirsty LA.
At opening ceremonies for the Aqueduct, Mulholland famously (and problematically) said of the diverted water: “There it is, take it.” LADWP had bought up property in the Owens Valley, parcel by parcel, posing as ranchers and farmers, to acquire water rights. The movie Chinatown is loosely based on this true story.
Within approximately 10 years, the Aqueduct had completely drained Owens Lake (Patsiata), resulting in the loss of navigable waters, habitat, and an important local food source. The dry lakebed became a major source of dust pollution. Owens Lake has been named as the largest source of dust (specifically PM10) in the U.S., according to the USEPA.
The diversions had and continue to have major detrimental impacts to the environment, people, and wildlife of the Owens Valley. Harmful metals left in the dry lakebed blow across the Valley, causing a slew of breathing problems and other harms to many local residents. Without abundant water, the Paiute people lost their economic livelihood and way of life.
Lawsuits and regulations led to required mitigation for the dust by LADWP, which began the largest dust control project in the nation in the early 2000s. Dust mitigation involves physical alteration of the drained lakebed, irrigation with sprinklers, and planting to keep the dust in place.
During our tour, Heal the Bay connected with staff from the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission, local tribes, and allies. We walked, learned, reflected, and connected with water and each other.
We trekked down into and around Patsiata and visited the Three Creeks Collective — land that has been given back to indigenous tribes through the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission and the Collective.
The trip was humbling and transformational for those who attended. We felt incredible gratitude for the experience and to the local indigenous elders and community members and allies for welcoming us so openly.
We heard numerous requests and demands of local agencies, the main one being to the return of local water rights to Payahuunadü.
The City of Los Angeles has grown because of the decisions of the past to divert water from Owens Valley. Nearly 4 million people and a robust economy depend on that water.
Untangling from that water supply will require significantly reduced water demand, innovative planning, and billions of dollars for new water supply and storage infrastructure.
Heal the Bay, and others are actively pushing greater LA to become more water-independent through increased stormwater capture and wastewater recycling. And that will require both higher rates on local water bills and increased infrastructure investment by government agencies. All of these factors affect civic and individual pocketbooks.
Without low-income rate assistance, burdens for these investments will be placed on communities already struggling to pay for their basic needs. Balancing all these competing interests will require great care, diplomacy, and collaboration. Heal the Bay is committed to leading these policy discussions with respect for all interested parties and with science-based recommendations.
We must prioritize truly local water. We can no longer justify diversions from Owens Valley. The ecosystem and environmental justice harms created by the Los Angeles Aqueduct should be rectified by leaving more or all of the water in Payahuunadü and mitigating for past and current impacts.
Here are some great resources to help you get involved in this issue:
Heal the Bay’s policy team recently joined hundreds of advocates from across the state in Sacramento for California Ocean Day. Come along with us to learn more about how our team shapes legislation and how supporters like you can help Heal the Bay protect shorelines up and down the coast.
What is California Ocean Day?
California Ocean Day is an annual event where ocean advocates convene in Sacramento to lobby state leaders in support of legislation that safeguards our coast, ocean, and communities. It’s also a great chance to connect with fellow ocean lovers, activists, and decision makers. This year marked the 19th annual California Ocean Day. The event is open to all and is organized by Surfrider Foundation, Environment California, CALPIRG Students, Azul, and CSU Council on Ocean Affairs, Science & Technology.
What are the top issues we raised with policymakers in the Capitol? What is our goal?
The Heal the Bay lobby team at the state capitol.
We lobbied for bills that would fight plastic pollution, protect coastal access, improve water quality, protect threatened species, and build ocean resilience in the face of climate change. We also spoke to legislators and their staff about supporting California’s network of 124 marine protected areas (MPAs), restoring the state’s coastal resilience budget, and supporting an equitable climate bond on the ballot this November.
When we visit with elected officials, our goals are to ask for support or opposition on specific state bills, to answer questions, to educate on state bills and ocean issues, to develop relationships, and to let decision makers know what issues are important to Heal the Bay.
What are some bills we have on our radar?
We are now over halfway through the 2024 legislative season, and the bills below are still making their way through the lengthy process to become law. We advocated for these bills at Ocean Day and they have now passed their house of origin (the house where they were first introduced i.e. Senate or Assembly), They are now moving through the opposite house, and are still in need of support.
Assembly Bill 2236 (Bauer-Kahn) and Senate Bill 1053 (Blakespear): Fix the California Bag Ban
A decade ago, California passed the nation’s first plastic bag ban, helping to reduce pollution from single-use plastic bags at grocery stores. But, due to a loophole in the bill, stores are still distributing thicker plastic bags, claiming them to be reusable. This pair of bills would close this major loophole to ensure consumers are given actual reusable bags or single-use paper bags. The legislation tightens standards for reusable bags and requires stores to provide paper bags made from a required minimum of recycled content.
Assembly Bill 2761 (Hart & Lowenthal): Reducing Toxics in Packaging Act
Amid growing concerns over toxic chemicals found in everyday products, AB 2761 is a crucial measure to protect both the environment and public health by targeting hazardous substances in plastic packaging. This bill would ban poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) from all plastic packaging. These substances, often found in packaging, are known to pose serious health risks, including cancer, hormone disruption, and liver damage.
Assembly Bill 2214 (Bauer-Kahan): Implementing the Statewide Microplastics Strategy
Growing concerns over microplastics, which account for at least 85% of marine waste and can cause health issues like reproductive difficulties and endocrine disruption, prompted the introduction of this measure. This bill mandates the California Ocean Protection Council to establish an interagency coordination group to tackle microplastics pollution by implementing the already existing Statewide Microplastics Strategy. This legislation is crucial for protecting both ocean and public health and tackling microplastic pollution from the source.
The Heal the Bay lobby team with Assemblymember Gregg Hart (center).
With so much competition from other pressing issues, what is our strategy for raising our issues on lawmakers’ agendas?
When we meet with decision-makers, we prioritize speaking to what is important to that lawmaker. For example, some representatives are really focused on a healthy economy, so we focus on laws that help to build a blue economy, while also conserving our ocean and coast. For others, bills that focus on environmental justice goals, such as climate bills and coastal access bills, truly resonate. Effective advocacy is all about connecting with our audience. By learning as much as we can about the legislators we are speaking with, we can drive our message home and get the focus these issues need to implement real change.
How do we work with other allies to get things done?
When we go to Sacramento, we join other organizations interested in the same collective goal. We split into inter-organizational teams and attend scheduled meetings with elected officials or their staff. Typically, Heal the Bay is part of three or four teams, so our message regarding the health and safety of Los Angeles’ watersheds and coastal region is heard by a wider audience of legislative offices.
During California Ocean Day, Heal the Bay joined numerous other organizations including Surfrider, Black Surfers Collective, California Coast Keeper Alliance, AZUL, Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples, CAL PIRG, 5 Gyres, Environment California, and many others. Our voices are most powerful when we come together, which makes lobby days like Ocean Day so effective.
How do we remain optimistic when bureaucracy moves slowly and bills sometimes die before coming to a vote?
This is perhaps the hardest part of our jobs as advocates. Just this year, Heal the Bay began the legislative season co-sponsoring Senate Bill 1167 (Blakespear) which would have required reusable cups for dining in at chain restaurants across the state. While we put a great deal of effort into pushing this bill forward, it sadly did not pass out of its first committee. It can be a gutting moment, but our team has honed the skill of learning from these experiences and going back to the drawing board with an even better law. Good laws don’t pass overnight, and with time, we often end up with an even better piece of legislation than we would have on our first attempt. That is the real silver lining in temporary defeat. We are already excited to focus on passing reuse laws locally here in Los Angeles to help boost our next attempt at a state law.
How can the general public support our policy and legislative work?
Make your voice heard. The best way to get bills passed is for decision-makers to hear from their constituents – that means YOU! It may sound trite, but your voice really does matter. A phone call to your representative can mean the difference between a bill becoming law or not. Head to https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/ to find out who your state representatives are. Call them and ask them to vote YES on the bills we listed above.
Use this handy script to make your phone call extra easy:
“Hi, my name is __________ and I am a resident of __________ and a constituent of representative__________. As an active member of my community with concerns about our oceans and public health, I urge you to vote YES on SB 1053, AB 2236, AB 2761, and AB 2214. These bills will protect our oceans and the health of my community by reducing plastic pollution and removing dangerous chemicals from products I use. Thank you for your time.”
The Heal the Bay science team.
Beyond taking action, you can follow along on our work! Through our channels, like social media, newsletters, and blogs like this one, Heal the Bay shares updates on the laws we are working on and action alerts to get the community involved. Attend an advocacy training, follow us on Instagram, become a volunteer, clean up a beach, or donate to our cause – all these actions greatly help support our work and our broader goal of healthy, safe, clean water for all Angelenos.
Daily Beach Water Quality Predictions Are Now Online
For the tenth straight summer, Heal the Bay is posting daily water quality predictions for California beaches on our Beach Report Card with NowCast. To make these predictions, we use computer models that examine correlations between environmental conditions (such as temperature, rain, and tide) and historical bacteria concentrations. Our NowCast models then predict with high accuracy how much bacteria could be present in the water given the current local conditions at the beach.
Surfers’ Beach, San Mateo (Photo: Visit Half Moon Bay)
A day at the beach should not make anyone sick. That’s why health officials across the state monitor water quality at the beach every week during the summer. When officials detect high levels of bacteria, they issue a public health advisory. However, by the time traditional water quality samples are processed, a minimum of 18-24 hours have passed, making the information outdated. With samples taken only once every 7 days, a weekly water quality grade may not provide the most useful or updated information since water quality can fluctuate rapidly. Heal the Bay believes that we need daily water quality information to better protect public health – our NowCast program does exactly that, issuing daily water quality information for 14 beaches this summer.
NowCast predictions appear on the Beach Report Card website and app with the symbols below. A Blue “W+” symbol indicates a low risk of illness from water contact, while a Red “W-” symbol indicates a high risk of illness.
Good Water QualityPoor Water Quality
Head to beachreportcard.org to find daily predictions for 14 beaches across California. Or download our free app on your iOS or Android device to get daily predictions on the go.
We are excited to announce the 14 beaches in our NowCast program for 2024:
Dockweiler (Imperial Hwy.), Los Angeles County
Dockweiler (Toes), Los Angeles County
Manhattan (28th St.), Los Angeles County
Redondo Breakwater (Herondo Storm Drain), Los Angeles County
Torrance Beach (Avenue I), Los Angeles County
Newport Beach (38th St.), Orange County
Newport Beach (52nd St.), Orange County
East Beach (Sycamore Creek), Santa Barbara County
Rio Del Mar, Santa Cruz County
Oceanside (San Luis Rey River Outlet), San Diego County
Morro Bay (Atascadero Rd.), San Luis Obispo County
Linda Mar Beach (San Pedro Creek), San Mateo County
Surfers Beach, San Mateo County
C Street (Promenade Park), Ventura County
Newport Beach (Photo: Visit California)
You may notice we do not have as many beaches in NowCast this year as we have had in previous years. This is due to the decline in accuracy with our current linear models, which struggle to keep up with the increasing weather anomalies, changing environmental conditions, and unusual bacterial data patterns we’ve seen in recent years. Consequently, we did not provide NowCast predictions for this past winter. Heal the Bay is in the process of reconstructing our environmental and bacteria database and we plan to develop new and improved prediction models this year. We hope to secure the necessary funding to enhance our model’s accuracy and provide more precise predictions for more beaches in the future.
Dockweiler Beach (Photo: LA County)
Don’t see your beach on the map? Let us know if you have a beach we should consider for NowCast — we are continually refining and expanding this program and hope to cover more beaches in the future. Predicting water quality is complex and we want to make sure we get it right. This means we need access to a myriad of data sources to make accurate predictions, and when data are not readily available, we can’t make the prediction.
Communities looking to bring daily water quality predictions to their favorite beach spots can advocate for this cause in the following ways:
Advocate at town halls and city council meetings for increased funding toward ocean and environmental data observation, collection, standardization, and analysis programs.
Support Heal the Bay’s staff scientists’ efforts to expand monitoring programs and directly fund our work.
Stay informed about your local water quality and reach out to your representatives in California demanding improvements be made to protect public health and our natural environment.
If you can’t find NowCast predictions in your area, you can see the latest water quality grades issued to over 500 beaches on the Beach Report Card Website. In the meantime, we are working to improve and expand the NowCast system, so check back to see if your favorite beach has water quality predictions.
Over 30,000 gallons of raw sewage discharged unintentionally into Ballona Creek and then into the ocean on May 8-9. The spill forced full closures along Dockweiler Beach and Venice Beach, two of the most popular shoreline spots in greater L.A.
The culprit was root blockage in a main sewer line in West Hollywood. Over time, tree roots can infiltrate sewer pipes causing them to clog or break. A sewer main is a publicly owned pipeline, typically located under a street, that collects waste from numerous homes and businesses and transports it to a wastewater treatment facility. Based on the spill report from the State Office of Emergency Services, it appears that the sewage blocked up in West Hollywood, spilled onto the street, and entered a storm drain, which eventually made its way to Ballona Creek and out to the ocean.
How much icky stuff reached the sea?
According to the most report from California Integrated Water Quality System Project (CIWQS), it was revealed that a staggering 31,763 gallons of sewage were discharged from this residence, significantly surpassing the initial estimate of 14,400 gallons, which was the amount widely reported in the media.
What damage can these spills do to humans and the ecosystem?
Raw sewage is very dangerous to people and wildlife, as it contains bacteria, viruses, and can carry a variety of diseases. There is also debris in raw sewage, such as wipes, tampons and other personal health items. When released into waterways and the ocean, the waste and debris can harbor bacteria or be ingested by animals. Sewage is made up primarily of organic matter that is food for smaller organisms at the bottom of the food chain like algae. A large discharge of sewage can lead to algal blooms that can deplete oxygen in the water, possibly leading to fish kills and impacts to aquatic organisms and ecosystems. Discharges of sewage can also increase the cloudiness of water, smothering species or impacting the amount of light that can pass through the water for photosynthetic organisms.
Did some media overplay this story?
A recent Los Angeles Magazine article “Beach Residents are Sick of the Crap”, made a link between the recent sewage spill from Ballona Creek and reports of “dead fish and birds” and sick surfers in the area. Heal the Bay takes sewage spills and threats to public and environmental health very seriously. But we pride ourselves on being a science-based organization and we question whether this assertion is backed up with robust data. It is tempting to use anecdotal evidence to indicate causation, but to effect change we must rely on good data to back up our advocacy. Recently there have been increased reports of starving and sick pelicans, but these reports preceded the latest sewage spill. We don’t have enough evidence to conclude that the impacts on fish and birds are related to sewage spills. Researchers and advocates must continue to identify the reasons why pelicans are starving while also working to stop sewage spills and protect public health.
Heal the Bay got its start nearly 40 years ago by making sure raw sewage didn’t get released into local waters. Why do we still see these discharges happen?
Heal the Bay’s first fight was to stop partially treated sewage from being discharged into the Santa Monica Bay from the Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant. Hyperion now treats wastewater to a much higher degree and, when everything functions properly, we actually aren’t concerned about bacteria or viruses being discharged into the ocean. But climate change is already impacting our sewer systems; as we see more intense storms, some of that water is finding its way into sewer pipes, scouring the debris that gets stuck in our pipes, mostly wipes, which can overwhelm our treatment plants. Hyperion isn’t designed for these intense storm events, and in fact, hasn’t had a major overhaul since Heal the Bay pushed them to 40-years ago. We have other concerns about treatment plants too — like the discharge of treated water, which can be recycled and reused, and the discharge of nutrients into the ocean, which is exacerbating impacts of ocean acidification and warming. And we know that major spills from treatment plants can and do still happen, like we saw in 2021 at Hyperion.
Spills that happen outside of treatment plants from sewer pipelines are often due to aging infrastructure. Pipes don’t last forever and maintenance and replacement are required. According to a statement that Director and General Manager of LA Sanitation & Environment Barbara Romero gave to Los Angeles City Council, approximately one-third of the city’s pipelines have exceeded the 90-year mark. Typically, sewer pipes are designed with a lifespan ranging from 50 to 100 years. Given that the majority of Los Angeles’ sewer infrastructure predates 1950, it’s evident that a significant portion is approaching the end of its operational lifespan. As a region, we must invest in and prioritize infrastructure repair and replacement. That will likely mean higher utility rates. As we make repairs, we must also be forward-thinking of the current changing climate and what’s to come, planning for opportunities to maximize water recycling and readying for larger and more intense but less frequent rainfall.
Was this a one-off event or should we be worried about an increased amount of spills in the future?
Unfortunately, discharges happen periodically but they vary widely in volume and whether the sewage actually reaches a waterway – namely a river or the ocean.
Major sewage spills are fairly rare, but we have had some big ones in the last three years. In July 2021, Hyperion had a major failure and discharged 12.5 million gallons of sewage to the ocean from its outfall pipe that discharges one mile into the ocean. The proposed fine of $27 million by the Water Board is still being negotiated by the City of LA. In December 2021, 8.5 million gallons of sewage was discharged into the Dominguez Channel from an overflow in an LA County Sanitation Districts pipeline. LA County paid a fine of $6 million for this spill and 14 others, with much of the fine returning to fund a local stormwater park to benefit the community. The LA Magazine article incorrectly attributed this spill to the City of LA, when in fact it was the County of LA.
However, smaller sewage spills are not an uncommon occurrence regionally. Sewage spills are tracked by the state which is where Heal the Bay pulls data to look at trends over time. Over the last 10 years (2014-2023), there have been a total of 3,174 spill cases resulting in 30,521,025 gallons of sewage in LA County, with around half of that amount reaching surface waters.
The number of spills actually shows a decreasing trend over the last 10 years (see chart below), but there is not a clear trend when we look at volume spilled over time. Clearly, we see spikes in years when there were major spills. Obtaining data on spills is not easy or user-friendly and the data itself is not perfect. The graphs below actually don’t have the 2021 Hyperion spill in them due to that data being listed differently by agencies.
What’s the difference between sewers and storm drains?
We must remember not to confuse the sewer and storm drain systems, which are separate in Los Angeles. Waste from inside homes and businesses enters the sewer system and is treated before being discharged into the sea. Meanwhile, rain and daily urban runoff (sprinklers, hosing down sidewalks, washing a car in the street) enters our storm drain system. That daily runoff, which can amount to 10 million gallons in greater LA even on a dry day, is not cleaned and enters waterways and the ocean directly.
The LA Magazine article conflates the two, describing “pools of raw sewage [that] puddle in heavily traveled areas, like the beach in front of Santa Monica’s Shutters and Casa del Mar hotels.” These two hotels sit near the outfall of the Pico-Kenter storm drain, which drains major portions of Los Angeles and Santa Monica. During storms, Pico-Kenter funnels huge amounts of trash and toxins to the beach and ocean. The puddles described by LA Mag were very unlikely to be raw sewage and much more likely to be stormwater runoff, which is typically filled with unsightly trash and bacteria which can cause illness but is less of a health concern than raw sewage.
Who is responsible for maintaining the sewer system?
Lateral lines are privately owned and connect homes and businesses to the public system. Homeowners and business owners are responsible for maintaining and cleaning those lines, which are known to get clogged and impacted from tree roots. Regular maintenance is key to preventing problems and sewage leaks and spills from lateral lines. Blockages can also be prevented by all of us by not flushing anything down the toilet except toilet paper and waste. That means no wipes (even if they’re flushable), tampons, condoms, plastic, needles, or anything else. And for sinks, that means no fats, oils, and grease, which can clog pipes as well.
LA County Sanitation Districts’ service area covers 78 cities and the unincorporated areas within the County (824 square miles); the City of LA is responsible for more than 6,700 miles of sewers. Finally, the wastewater ends up at wastewater treatment or water reclamation plants.
The City of LA operates four plants: Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant, Los Angeles Glendale Water Reclamation Plant, Terminal Island Water Reclamation Plant, and Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant. The County of LA operates 11 wastewater treatment facilities, the largest being the A.K. Warren Water Resource Facility (formerly known as Joint Water Pollution Control Plant) in Carson.
Are the various agencies and municipalities doing all that they can to prevent these spills?
The City and County of LA recognize the need for maintenance, upgrades, and replacement of aging infrastructure. Staff is also focused on improving systems and processes for detecting, responding to, and notifying the public of spills.
Heal the Bay and our partner non-profit organizations meet regularly with leadership at LA County Sanitation Districts and we appreciate their transparency as well taking accountability for spills and reinvesting in local communities. The scale of the problem for LA City and LA County is huge in terms of identifying and prioritizing areas in need of repair across 17,000 miles of sewer pipes.
What is Heal the Bay doing to make sure these spills don’t happen in the future? How are you holding dischargers accountable?
Heal the Bay is dedicated to protecting public health and making sure that spills don’t happen in the future by:
Advocating for:
Increased transparency and commitments from LASAN and LACSD as well as the Department of Public Health on coordination, rapid testing, and rapid notification of the public when there is a sewage spill, especially major ones that could have an impact on public health.
Appropriate fines when there are spills and requiring those fines to be invested in local communities that were impacted and water quality improvement projects
Funding for City and County of LA to make necessary upgrades to infrastructure through local, state, and federal funding as well as through rate increases
Heal the Bay supports the recently proposed sewer rate increases by LA Bureau of Sanitation & Environment as it must address aging infrastructure and keep up with inflation, the agency’s needs, and our new climate reality.
Implementation of the recommendations in the report from the 2021 sewage spill at Hyperion
Educating residents on actions they can take to prevent sewage clogs and spills.
Informing the public when there is a spill as a trusted voice in the community through our social media, blogs, and the Beach Report Card and River Report Card.
How can residents support those efforts?
If you’re a homeowner or business owner, maintain your lateral sewer lines.
Our South Bay town hall detailed how coastal cities can best protect themselves.
Remnants of a bluff-top apartment building in Pacifica that crumbled to the beach, where rocks form a barrier against the rising sea. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times).
The ocean is moving in. But unlike most unwanted guests, sea level rise is here to stay.
Because of the carbon emissions already emitted since the Industrial Revolution, sea level rise (SLR) is inevitable in our region. California’s oceans are expected to rise 1 foot by 2050. Although this number may appear small, this rise in sea level will result in devastating impacts – from severe coastal flooding to widespread loss of cherished beaches. But that does not mean all hope is lost. With proper resilience planning at the state and local levels, our region can escape the most cataclysmic effects. But we need to start acting right now.
Tracy Quinn (left), Rosanna Xia (center), and Warren Ontiveros (right) in conversation at Heal the Bay’s Sea Level Rise panel in Hermosa Beach.
That was the stark assessment of panelists gathered Sunday, April 28, for Heal the Bay’s “Rising Tides” town hall at the Hermosa Beach Community Center. Heal the Bay CEO Tracy Quinn moderated a lively conversation with Rosanna Xia, L.A. Times coastal reporter, and Warren Ontiveros, chief planner for L.A. County’s Beach and Harbors division. Hermosa Beach Mayor Justin Massey welcomed the audience.
Xia, author of the acclaimed book “California Against the Sea: Visions for a Vanishing Coastline,” urged policymakers to reframe SLR as an opportunity rather than a disaster. California can mend its “fractured relationship with our shoreline,” she argued, by adopting the mindset of the region’s first settlers. The Chumash, guided by a spirit of balance and reciprocity, looked to care for and heal the shoreline rather than command and control it. Our state has seen rising and falling seas for millennia, Xia noted. Centuries ago, California’s northern Channel Islands formed a single land mass until the Pacific Ocean rose and created five separate islands. The coast is not static, it is always changing.
But today’s challenges are starker given human-made emissions. Melting polar ice caps and increased expansion of water through rising ocean temperatures are the primary SLR drivers.
The California coastline (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
And those rising tides could prove disastrous. California could lose nearly 70% of all beaches and all its wetlands by 2100 if we fail to act. That loss would truly be a doomsday scenario, with 70M annual day visits to beaches annually and $1.3 billion in economic stimulus from the coastal economy.
Ontiveros shared some of the steps the County is taking to build greater resilience to the SLR onslaught. His division has created a scorecard for identifying the two dozen LA County beaches most vulnerable to erosion, flooding, and lack of public access. According to the County, the 10 beaches most at risk, in order of vulnerability, are Zuma, Redondo Beach, Malibu Surfrider, Point Dume, Dockweiler, Dan Blocker, Las Tunas, Topanga, Nicholas Canyon, and Will Rogers.
County engineers are readying several so-called beach nourishment projects to help preserve sand and public access in these threatened sites. In a hybrid mechanical-natural adaptation move, engineers hope to take tons of sand from the deep sea and “transplant” it on the Zuma and Point Dume shorelines. They would use the reclaimed sand to create “living shorelines,” where installed dunes and plant life would retain sand longer and provide natural buffers to flooding. The plans, which face many permitting and logistical challenges, would add 25 feet of sand to these iconic beaches.
Xia then encouraged the audience to think of the shoreline not so much as a place but as a process. Everything is always shifting, she said. Trying to fix straight lines and immovable objects on the shorelines is a fool’s errand.
The panelists agreed that buffering our coast and building resilience will require both engineered concrete solutions, such as relocating highways, and nature-based solutions, such as wetlands restoration, to accommodate increased flooding. Coastal residents will have to accept change. Their neighborhoods and the larger coastline will look different, panelists said.
Gleason Beach realignment bridge construction (Michael Sweeney Photography)
Xia described a recent project in Sonoma County that saw Caltrans rebuild an arterial coastline highway that once snaked along Gleason Beach as an overpass further inland. Underneath the roadway, engineers designed a series of natural buffers and floodplains. Some residents called the new project an eyesore, Xia noted, while others saw it as a boon to a threatened community.
“The ‘my way or the highway’ mentality can’t work,” Xia said. Communities need to compromise and be realistic.
Ontiveros singled out the threatened Cardiff Beach in northern San Diego as an example of residents and planners working together to successfully adapt to rising seas. Nearly five acres of dune habitat have been restored in a multi-benefit project that will help protect a vulnerable section of PCH and increase public access to local beaches.
The Cardiff Living Shorelines Project (Resilient Coastlines)
Xia noted that statewide resilience will be achieved through a series of iterative projects like Cardiff. There will not be one master document that solves all the many challenges in one fell swoop. Planning means envisioning and building continually over decades, where knowledge gained can be applied to the next challenge.
Panelists did not delve into the tricky question of how we find funds to pay for all this resilience work, which could hit $1 trillion statewide by the century’s end. Capitol lawmakers have made more federal funds available as part of a renewed push to protect the nation’s infrastructure.
While legislators and scientists have led the push to battle SLR, Xia urged decision-makers to widen the idea of who is an expert. Indigenous communities and frontline neighborhoods must be part of finding solutions, she said. Ontiveros echoed her comments, noting that millions of inland beachgoers depend on the sea for recreational and therapeutic relief. Hearing from inland communities is critical and will require proactive outreach, he said.
The session ended with thoughts on how everyday residents can best help their communities prepare for the ravages of sea-level rise. Coastal city residents should get involved in local city planning, Xia urged. By 2034, every beachside municipality must submit a Local Coastal Plan to state officials, with SLR vulnerability assessments and resilience recommendations.
To get a copy of Rosanna Xia’s book, please click here.
Heal the Bay thrives because of our amazing volunteers. We are only able to celebrate those achievements because of the time, dedication, and support that our volunteers so graciously donate.
On March 21, 2024, Heal the Bay celebrated the incredible volunteers and supporters at our annual Super Healer Awards and Volunteer Party.
Our dedicated volunteers span a wide age range, from 12 to 87 years old, and hail from various corners of the greater Los Angeles area. From Malibu to Long Beach, South LA to the North East San Fernando Valley, volunteers share a common goal at Heal the Bay: to make coastal waters and watersheds safe, healthy, and clean for everyone. Whether they are participating in beach clean-ups or funding critical work, their collective contributions have made a tangible difference in our ongoing efforts to protect our oceans. Thank you to past, present, and future volunteers for your invaluable support and dedication!
2023 Was A Winning Year for Heal the Bay:
Volunteers who participated in our monthly Nothin’ But Sand Beach Cleanups and annual Coastal Cleanup Day programming contributed over 22,278 hours to protecting and conserving our local waterways and coastal waters.
On Coastal Cleanup Day, we had 7,337 volunteers remove more than 16,211 lbs of trash and 430 lbs. of recyclables from our waterways and neighborhoods.
Aquarium volunteers contributed 5,751 hours as they interpreted at touch tanks, engaged with visiting students, and assisted in caring for our animals.
Our MPA Watch volunteers conducted 572 surveys in 2023 to monitor use in the Palos Verdes and Malibu MPA sites.
Our Super Healer Awardees
Corporate Super Healer
The Many
The Many is a local values-based advertising agency headquartered in the Pacific Palisades of Los Angeles, CA. They deliver bespoke client solutions ranging from integrated brand experiences and world record-setting activations to social movements, influencer campaigns and earned media stunts. They are an active supporter of Heal the Bay and this year they have created the campaign design for our biggest fundraising event of the year, our annual Bring Back the Beach Gala. A big thank you to The Many for their amazing support!
Aquarist Super Healer
Bailey Cox
Bailey is a fantastic volunteer. Her ability to work through tasks with incredible speed and efficiency sets her apart. She has a vast knowledge of marine biology, which shows through all of her work. Bailey combines speed with expertise, effortlessly managing multiple responsibilities while ensuring the highest standard of care for our aquatic residents. Her dedication and proficiency make Bailey a valuable asset to our volunteer community, contributing significantly to our mission at Heal the Bay and the well-being of our animals. Thanks Bailey!
Laia Mayne
Laia is one of our most hard-working and meticulous volunteers. She is always eager to tackle whatever task is given to her. Her meticulous care in ensuring the tanks are impeccably clean reflects her dedication and desire to learn. Laia sees her time with us as a stepping stone towards her academic ambitions and brings outstanding professionalism and enthusiasm to our volunteer force. Thanks Laia!
Maia Flores
Maia joined our Aquarium family early on in 2023 and she has shown great enthusiasm and drive for Aquaristing. She is always on top of the tasks she has and is open to trying new tasks. She goes above and beyond in supporting our team in a variety of ways, to help aquarists finish big projects for the day like even getting in and helping scrub Under The Pier. Maia is trustworthy, reliable and dedicated to supporting with any Aquarium tasks for a given day. Thanks Maia!
Jake Bogart
Jake has been an excellent volunteer who shows up consistently and for longer than he is required to do because he enjoys spending time at the Aquarium. He goes above and beyond, staying extra hours to get as much aquaristing experience but also helping us complete tasks at hand. He always comes in with a positive attitude ready to work hard and has insightful questions about Aquaristing. We are grateful to volunteers like Jake who help us keep our Aquarium in tip-top shape. Thanks Jake!
Public Programs Super Healers
Samantha “Sam” Spero
Sam is an Aquarium Super Star. She volunteers with BOTH aquarists and public programs, which gives her a whole new perspective to share with aquarium guests! We also appreciate Sam’s work with Club Heal the Bay. Sam is reliable, creative, and cheerful. It’s a pleasure to work alongside Sam and are in awe of her passion for marine science and marine wildlife. Thank you so much Sam, for your dedication, reliability, and hard work!
Carter Yean
Carter is a spirited and confident volunteer. We appreciate Carter’s volunteer work with Public Programs and his experience advocating for environmental justice. He’s shown amazing leadership, dedication, and eagerness to try new things. Thank you so much for all that you do Carter, and thank you for being a super healer!
Jackson Yean
Jackson has taken on many endeavors as a Public Programs volunteer. From interpreting with guests at the Aquarium to taking part in educational outreach efforts on the Santa Monica Pier, Jackson is always ready and eager to support in any capacity. Jackson contributes not only his time but also brings along awesome animal facts to share with the team and guests. Thanks for all that you do Jackson, we appreciate your time and effort!
Gabriel Snyder
Gabriel has been a dedicated and enthusiastic volunteer since day one! Gabriel takes part in various Heal the Bay volunteer programs such as the Aquarium, Club Heal the Bay, and Adopt-a-Beach. He is passionate about protecting our environment and even wrote a book, Samson the Harbor Seal, to encourage readers to do their, part in reducing plastic pollution. We’re so lucky to have Gabriel be a part of our Heal the Bay family! Thank you for all that you do Gabriel!
Education Super Healer
Sue Liu
Sue has been volunteering with the Education Department for a while now and we absolutely adore her! She has been a positive energy for our team as well as a mentor of sorts. She is great with the students and we cannot thank her enough for her work here, and the kids love her too. Thank you Sue!
Beach Programs Super Healers
Art Salter
Art has been a dedicated Coastal Cleanup Day captain since 2018. He heroic heads up the Santa Monica Pier site at tower 1550 every year, Heal the Bay’s busiest CCD cleanup site! He communicates early and often about his CCD duties and helps keep the Beach Programs team on track for a successful Coastal Cleanup Day.
Samuel Jones
Sam is always ready to put in whatever work is needed to ensure we have a successful cleanup. He is prompt and very communicative.
Jerica Covell
Jerica joined Heal the Bay as a Beach Captain and never looked back. In one year, she has completed the Speakers Bureau training and volunteered as a summer intern for CCD 2023. Jerica’s dedication is invaluable to Heal the Bay. I cannot wait to see what more this incredible person is capable of!
Makayla Cox
Makayla started with the AAB program in November of 2022, quickly got involved as a Beach Captain and now runs her own beach cleanups every month in Venice though her own non profit, Clean Up the Beach. Did I mention she is a sophomore in High School? She started a secondary project, Be Nice to VeNice to help rid the plastic pollution problem along the boardwalk at its source! Makayla has spent countless hours cleaning the beach, leading CCD sites, educating the public, attending community meetings, and working with elected officials to make Venice and the Los Angeles Beaches a better place for all!
Community Science Super Healer Awards
MPA Watch: Olivia Rose Marie Muñoz
Growing up in North Hollywood Olivia used to daydream about taking a small boat down the LA River to get to the beach. She’s interested in how watersheds work and their impacts on coastal ecosystems, with an emphasis on water quality. She has been a Heal the Bay volunteer for multiple programs for many years. In 2022, she graduated with a B.S. in Oceanography from Cal Maritime, and is applying to graduate schools for next fall to continue her marine studies focusing on water quality and conservation. In her spare time, Olivia enjoys going on adventures, traveling, combing the beach, or just reading a book. She’s currently halfway through reading all of Stephen King’s books.
eDNA: Kate Swanson
Kate has been involved with Heal the Bay’s eDNA sampling events for just about a year now. Kate grew up in the valley and is a current senior in high school. She first became involved with Heal the Bay through beach captaining Nothin’ But Sand cleanups and heard about eDNA during volunteer orientation, signing up the instant they got notice they were back on. The events have brought so much excitement to Kate’s Saturdays and is looking forward to doing more. One of Kate’s favorite memories was at Latigo Point when Crystal and her found a sea hare!
Outreach Super Healer Award
Outreach: John Marshal High School, Club Heal the Bay
JMHS’s Club Heal the Bay has exemplified our efforts to strengthen our youth programming. They have participated in our eDNA events, adopted a beach (and park!), and provided public comment to bring green efforts to LAUSD campuses. They are our most dedicated club, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with them. Thanks Club Heal the Bay, John Marshal High School for all that you do!
Are you ready to begin your volunteer journey with Heal the Bay? Discover all the ways you can work for a safe, clean coastline and watershed!
Celebrate Earth Month and all things reusable with Heal the Bay!
Join our “Reusable is Beautiful” Earth Month activities to help you ditch single-use plastic and keep our oceans healthy.
Every year, billions of pounds of single-use plastic flood our oceans, threatening the health of our planet. This month and every month, Heal the Bay is committed to raising awareness about choosing reusable options over single-use plastic and keeping our waterways clean, safe, and beautiful for everyone.
Fun, inspiring activations are happening all month for everyone – individuals, families, schools, and more! Grab your reusable water bottle, sunscreen, and friends for climate action fun near you!
Heal the Bay Earth Month 2024 Calendar of Special Events
👇👇👇SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF EVENTS and get involved this Earth Month with #ReusableIsBeautiful events and activities from Heal the Bay and our partners! 👇👇👇
Get Safety Talk Certified for Earth Month -FREE
Monday, March 25, 2024: VIRTUAL or IN PERSON
Become a Heal the Bay Safety Talk Speaker!
Our fun, impactful Nothin’ But Sand cleanups rely on fantastic volunteers like you! As a Safety Talk Speaker, you’ll educate beachgoers about Heal the Bay’s mission, impact, and safety practices. This is your chance to:
Educate thousands of volunteers about Heal the Bay’s work. (e.g., 20,000+ lbs of trash removed in 2023!)
Lead confidently by learning best practices for beach cleanups and authentic land acknowledgments.
Make a real difference for our coastlines and wildlife.
Gain public speaking skills to connect everyone from elementary school kids to the CEO’s of some of the region’s most prominent local brands and the science and policy that fuels Heal the Bay’s impact.
Two-Step Training:
Virtual Safety Talk Certification: March 25, 6:00 PM
In-Person Beach Captain Training: April 20, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Santa Monica Beach, Tower 1550)
Join our Aquarium experts and LACC for an extra special touch tank on the Santa Monica Pier next to the Heal the Bay Welcome Center! Get close to some incredible aquarium animals and learn all about the fascinating creatures that call our oceans home.
Plastic Pollution Advocacy Training (VIRTUAL) -FREE
Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 6 PM – 7 PM
Calling All Environmental Warriors!
Join Heal the Bay and 5 Gyres for a FREE virtual advocacy training to combat plastic pollution in California. Learn the power of grassroots activism and how to lead impactful campaigns targeting local and state plastic reduction efforts at our VIRTUAL training.
Master the tools to make a difference:
Understand key plastic pollution policies.
Craft persuasive messages for decision-makers.
Make impactful calls to representatives.
Submit compelling written comments on legislation.
Become a voice for change:
Gain essential advocacy skills and join the movement for a plastic-free future. Let’s make our voices heard and pave the way for a healthier planet!
Help Heal the Bay 5 Gyres depose the disposables!
Join our plastic policy workshop with Heal the Bay’s Coastal and Marine Scientist, Emily Parker and 5 Gyres’ Policy & Programs Director, Alison Waliszewski. Gain insights on the plastic bag ban, LA’s 2023 plastic laws, Heal Bay’s anti-plastic bills, and why 2024 might be a game-changer for plastic reduction in LA!
Saturday, April 20, 10 AM – 12 PM @ Santa Monica Pier
Earth Month Beach Cleanup Leveled Up!
Join Heal the Bay’s Nothin’ But Sand at Santa Monica Beach on April 20, 2024 (10 am-12 pm). Fun awaits! Enjoy spin-the-wheel games, trash relay races, and a marine science exploration station, and win #ResusableisBeautiful raffle prizes! All attendees gain FREE ACCESS TO HEAL THE BAY AQUARIUM for the day! Help clean & celebrate a healthier planet with 1000+ other volunteers at LA’s biggest Earth Month cleanup of 2024!
Dive into Earth Month at Heal the Bay Aquarium! Fun, educational exhibits & live demonstrations await ocean enthusiasts of all ages. Explore the wonders of Santa Monica Bay & meet the fantastic local animals that call it home.
Heal the Bay’s Safe Clean Water Program returns with an Earth Month BioBlitz! Heal the Bay staff will host two events with the 2024 LA City Nature Challenge, sponsored by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Academy of Sciences. Join us on Saturday, April 27th, at Bixby Marshland or Fern Dell in Griffith Park for an afternoon of ecological exploration!
Join the DAYBREAKER Peace Tour to the Santa Monica Pier! Rise and shine to help protect what you love. Some proceeds will support Heal the Bay programs that keep our coastal waters and watershed clean and healthy for all.
Rising Tides Discussion Panel @ Hermosa Beach Community Center -FREE
Sunday, April 28, 2024, 3 PM
Our coastline is shrinking. But what can Los Angeles do about it?
Attend the discussion panel of the year at Hermosa Beach Community Center, “Rising Tides: Exploring LA’s Readiness for Sea Level Rise,” to find out.
Join three leading experts on climate change, environmental policy, and community resilience as they sit down to unpack the challenges facing LA’s coast and explore solutions for a more sustainable future:
Discover how fossil fuels impact the Pacific shore and delve into equitable approaches to protecting our communities. RSVP now to reserve your FREE seat!
Stüssy x Heal the Bay returns with a limited-edition capsule collection launch! 100% of the proceeds from this collaboration will be donated to Heal the Bay to support our marine and coastal watershed protection work!
This exclusive collection of Stüssy x Heal the Bay retail will be available at Stussy.com.
Get your shopping cart ready and mark your calendar for the 2024 collection drop on May 3, 2024. Last year’s collection sold out in 15 minutes, raising over $75,000 to protect our coastal waters and watershed.
Did you miss out on Earth Day fun? Enjoy these Heal the Bay activations all month long!
FREE Beach Wheelchair Rentals @ Heal the Bay Aquarium
April 2024, 9:30 AM – 11 AM
Need a beach wheelchair to enjoy some fun in the sun? Everyone should be able to enjoy a day at the beach, so come to Heal the Bay Aquarium to access our manual beach wheelchairs, which are available for FREE public rentals.
Heal the Bay’s Beach Wheelchair rental program helps provide accessibility to one of nature’s most inspiring and critically essential resources and was made possible thanks to funding from The Coastal Conservancy. Learn more about our Beach Wheelchair Rental Program: https://healthebay.org/beach-wheelchairs-santa-monica-pier.
Earth Month: Battle of the Babies @ Heal the Bay Aquarium
Join Our Self-guided Beach Cleanup Competition – All Month Long
Are you feeling competitive this Earth Month? Are you ready to defeat the trash on Santa Monica Beach? Then join the Battle of the Babies all month long at Heal the Bay Aquarium!
Lead your team in a self-guided cleanup of Santa Monica Beach, choose which animal you would like to support, and at the end of the month, we’ll tally the total pounds collected by each fandom to see which baby will emerge triumphant!
Stop by Heal the Bay Aquarium to grab a FREE bucket and support your favorite fishy friend: the adorable swell shark pup or the darling California skate baby. This Earth Month, let’s see who emerges victorious in the battle against beach pollution!
Enter for a chance to win Heal the Bay Swag in this social media challenge
Calling all eco-warriors and selfie champions! Help your favorite restaurant ditch plastic for a chance to win awesome Heal the Bay gear .
Here’s the deal:
1) Ask your fave restaurant to “Hold the plastic, please!”
2)Snap a selfie with your HTPP card♻️
3)Post it to social media using #ReuableisBeautiful and tag @healthebay
Win epic Heal the Bay swag for showing your support!
Need a reminder card? Grab one at our #ResuableisBeautiful station, Heal the Bay Aquarium on the Santa Monica Pier, or download a digital one to flash at your next meal.
PSA to Restaurants! LA’s new plastic laws mean less waste and more savings for you! Confused about utensils, takeout containers, or the bag ban? We’ve got all the info on our website.
Let’s make #EarthMonth plastic-free and selfie-worthy!
Protect What You Love with a Heal the Bay Member”Ship”
Join our crew! Climb aboard the SS Heal the Bay Membership!
Our Member“Ship” is full of passionate and dedicated Heal the Bay supporters working to ensure that coastal waters and watersheds in Southern California are safe, healthy, and clean for generations to come. Thanks to the generous annual support of our Member“Ship” Crew, we can further our efforts through science, education, community action, and advocacy.Become a member and join our Crew!
Member“Ship” OPTIONS & BENEFITS
$55: Membership for one adult* $95: Membership for two adults*
$95: Family Membership for two adults + up to 2 children*
Member” Ship” Includes:
Free admission to Heal the Bay Aquarium for one year
25% discount on guest admission tickets
10% discount on retail purchases at the Heal the Bay Aquarium Gift Shop
Nothing says #ReuseableIsBeautiful this Earth Day like swag from Heal the Bay! Shop comfy appeal, unique gifts, and reusable goods, all for a great cause!
Check out our list of Earth Month events hosted by some of our favorite social, environmental, and partner organizations across Los Angeles. Stop by Heal the Bay’s Outreach table while you’re enjoying Earth Month fun around Los Angeles County this April.
You are cordially invited to our Bring Back the Beach Gala on May 16, 2024.
As a fundraising benefit for Heal the Bay, this exclusive West Coast event welcomes hundreds of business, political, entertainment, and environmental leaders. Reserve your tickets to our biggest event of the year!
Our 2024 GALA is SINGLE-USE PLASTIC-FREE because at Heal the Bay, we believe #ReusableIsBeautiful! Help keep single-use plastic out of our watershed when you “BRING BACK THE BEACH” this May.
Become a Site Captain or Co-Captain and host a Heal the Bay cleanup site in LA County for Coastal Cleanup Day 2024!
LA’s biggest volunteer event returns!
Join Heal the Bay’s Coastal Cleanup Day on Sept 21st, 2024.
In 2023, over 7,000 Heal the Bay volunteers removed over 16,000 lbs. of trash and 400 lbs. of recycling from 97 miles of beach, river, underwater, and trail cleanup sites! Help us make an even more significant impact in 2024.
Want to lead a cleanup site? Sign up for Site Captain training on Thursday, 5/30/2024, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. More Site Captain training dates to come.
+The deadline to sign up to be a CCD Site Captain is 7/31/2024.
Over the past 20 years, the PVSA has been dedicated to recognizing the significant impact made by volunteers in communities all around the country.
“In 2003, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation founded the President’s Volunteer Service Award to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. This award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too.” –The President’s Volunteer Service Award (presidentialserviceawards.gov)
Led by the AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light, this program allows Certifying Organizations to recognize their most exceptional volunteers.
Beginning this 2024 Winter Season, Heal the Bay volunteers will be able to apply for a PVSA at the start of every year. These applications will summarize hours completed in the previous calendar year, e.g., applications submitted in January 2024 will cover hours completed throughout 2023.
Ready to apply for your Presidential Award?
Volunteer Eligibility：
United States citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e., green card holder)
Must be at least eleven years old
Completes eligible service within a 12-month period (for annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards) and over a lifetime (for Lifetime Achievement Awards)
Eligible Service:
Unpaid acts of volunteer service benefitting others
Service through National service programs that provide a stipend (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) may count towards the Lifetime Achievement Award, but not for the annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards)
Travel stipends, transit/parking passes, membership passes, expense reimbursements, and other nominal volunteer support do not impact service eligibility
Please Note: At this time, only volunteer hours completed within Heal the Bay programs are eligible to be certified.
Service hours vs Award Distinction
How to apply:
Complete Heal the Bay PVSA applications. Applications will open from January 15 – February 28 of the current year. Apply Here
Applications will be reviewed on March 1, of the current year (March 1, 2024).
Presidential Volunteer Service Awards will be confirmed by the end of March of a given year.
On a more positive note, 12 California beaches made Heal the Bay’s Honor Roll in this year’s report, meaning they earned perfect A+ grades every week in all summer and winter reporting periods. While that’s reason to celebrate, that total is a notable decrease from the 30-50 sites typically named as Honor Roll beaches in past reports. The very wet winter caused many past honorees to suffer from bacterial exceedances.
Stüssy x Heal the Bay returns with a limited-edition capsule collection launch! 100% of the proceeds from this collaboration will be donated to Heal the Bay to support our marine and coastal watershed protection work!
Need a beach wheelchair to enjoy some fun in the sun? Everyone should be able to enjoy a day at the beach, so come to Heal the Bay Aquarium to access our manual beach wheelchairs, which are available for FREE public rentals.
Calling all eco-warriors and selfie champions! Help your favorite restaurant ditch plastic for a chance to win awesome Heal the Bay gear .
