Limited Edition Coastal Cleanup Day Cotton Canvas Tote Bag
Limited Edition Heal the Bay Coastal Cleanup Bandana
The Heal the Bay holiday gift guide.
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Spread ocean-friendly cheer with more guides from Heal the Bay:
Read Part ONE of our Green Holiday Tips Guide: Sustainable Shipping Holiday Myths
Read Part TWO of our Green Holiday Tips Guide: Wrapping Paper vs. Recycling
Read Part THREE of our Green Holiday Tips Guide: Throwing a Party Sustainably
Freshwater sites in L.A. County suffer from fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) pollution, indicating harmful pathogens that can lead to serious illness. FIB pollution often stems from urban runoff, illegal discharges, and leaks from failing wastewater systems. In response to the lack of publicly available information, Heal the Bay launched monitoring efforts in 2014, culminating in the River Report Card (RRC) in 2017, to keep freshwater sites safe for recreation.
The RRC offers free, weekly water quality grades for 35 freshwater recreation sites, providing essential information to safeguard public health. In addition to these weekly updates, Heal the Bay releases an annual report each summer.
The program also supports local students through the Stream Team initiative, which trains participants in field and lab techniques to prepare them for STEM careers. Since its inception, 57 students have contributed to monitoring efforts, expanding from Malibu Creek State Park to the L.A. River Watershed and beyond, including storm drain testing in the Elysian Valley, where dry weather urban runoff enters the river via storm drains. This initiative aims to identify and address potential sources of contamination that could impact water quality in the L.A. River and surrounding environments.
2024 Lower LA River Stream Team (from left to right: Vina Rose Matias, Emily Uy, Danny Herrera, Zaria Alam, and Ellie Garcia)
Heal the Bay welcomed 14 students from colleges across Southern California for the Stream Team internship this summer. Over 16 weeks, the team collected over 150 water samples and evaluated nearly 700 water quality grades, revealing trends at 35 testing locations monitored by HTB, SGRMP, and LA Environment and Sanitation (LASAN). Grades this summer were similar to past summers, with sites higher in the watershed, such as the San Gabriel River locations, receiving better grades and sites lower in the watershed, such as the lower L.A. River, receiving worse grades.
In addition to hands-on training, interns engaged in science communication, writing blog posts about their experiences, and participating in community events like the Friends of the Los Angeles River Festival. They also learned about career opportunities in environmental science from guest speakers and researchers at the EPA, LA Water Quality Control Board, and U.C. Riverside.
Heal the Bay monitors water quality through these efforts and cultivates the next generation of environmental stewards. For the latest grades, visit the River Report Card website. A full report will be available early next year.
Students provided insight on their favorite sections of the LA River:
“My favorite part of the LA River is the Lower LA River. It’s definitely not the cleanest, as illustrated in the grades these sites often receive, and not the most visually appealing. However, I find it’s incredibly diverse with both flora and fauna. The bird species in particular, especially at Willow, were always abundant. There was definitely a lack of human activity most likely due to sanitation and lack of aesthetics for recreational use, but that didn’t stop the river from doing its job for the other inhabitants of LA. I especially liked collecting field data at Willow because it was a hotspot for a variety of shorebirds.” – Ellie Garcia, Lower LA River Team
“My favorite part of the L.A. River is around Frogtown. There are a lot of people walking around, biking, enjoying nature, and the businesses adjacent to the river. I also appreciated how busy the area is throughout the day. We usually start at 8 AM and end at 12 PM collecting samples and the area is never quiet or empty.” – Vicente Villasenor, Upper LA River Team
“My favorite part of the LA River is how quickly it can change. The one I’d see change significantly every week was Sepulveda Basin, making it my favorite sampling site. Every week I noticed it became lusher than it had been the first time we visited the site.” – Kate Medrano, Upper LA River Team.
Students also shared what they learned about these urban waterways and water quality testing, and the importance of this water to the communities of humans and other species who live in and around the river:
“I learned more about how the river is an essential part for the community. I understood already that the river is important for wildlife. If its quality goes down, it has a domino effect on the environment. This season I learned that the domino effect also affects the community. I used to view the lower LA river as a sewage line, but while taking samples this season, I seen that it is also used for recreation. For example, people run, ride their bikes, and walk their dogs along the river. People also bird watch. I believe this further brings reason on why we need policy to protect this river and make it better. It’s vital in uplifting our community further.” – Vina Rose Matias, Lower LA River Team
“As a second-year intern, I was already quite familiar with the sampling process. However, this season we accounted for the different bird species present in the Lower LA River in our field data. I learned more about the migration patterns of native and non-native birds that call LA home and experienced the visual difference of biodiversity that came along with this. With this, I learned just how important the LA river is to these migratory birds. It acts almost like a home base for those that nest in this area. My most interesting finding had to be the Egyptian Geese we ran into during the end of our sampling season. They were very vocal, very colorful, and a bit too bold with people! They got a little too close while during sampling in Willow, which was interesting!” – Ellie Garcia, Lower LA River Team
Impact
Heal the Bay has maintained strong partnerships with the State Water Resource Control Board’s Clean Water Team, Los Angeles Trade Technical College, and California State University Long Beach. These collaborations have expanded our programs, providing essential laboratory resources and expertise while actively recruiting students for our Stream Team. This initiative equips students with practical skills and empowers them as future environmental leaders.
UC Riverside graduate researcher John Perna explains to the Stream Team how microplastics collection and research is completed along the LA River.
Through our partnerships, Heal the Bay improves understanding of water quality issues and advocates for public health measures. Our data collection has led to enhanced monitoring by LASAN and the establishment of a dedicated webpage by the L.A. County Department of Public Health for freshwater recreation areas.
Heal the Bay continues to push for legislation that mandates comprehensive water quality testing at freshwater sites, similar to existing beach testing standards. In 2021, we took a significant step forward with the successful sponsorship of AB 1066, which aims to establish a statewide water quality monitoring program at freshwater recreation areas.
Support Heal the Bay’s mission to champion the next generation of environmental stewards.
From the desk of the Heal the Bay Water Quality Team.
Heal the Bay recently hosted the Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples for a day of hands-on water quality testing and training to share our knowledge on the contaminants in LA’s freshwater, test for pollutants, and assess the ecosystem to protect public health. This partnership combined scientific methods with Indigenous traditions, creating a captivating day of cross-organizational knowledge sharing that promised to unveil new insights and foster a more profound respect for diverse perspectives.
Incorporating Indigenous perspectives is so important when it comes to environmental science. Indigenous communities and organizations often possess deep, localized knowledge of their environment, including an intricate understanding of water systems and changes over time. This legacy knowledge can significantly enhance the accuracy and completeness of water quality data and is an opportunity to learn more about the cultural and spiritual values of the area’s original inhabitants, and to help see water as more than just a resource.
Following an insightful morning filled with presentations and lively discussions, we convened at Malibu Creek State Park to measure the water’s turbidity, temperature, and other environmental factors. We donned our signature “Stream Team” boots and protective gear to wade “knee-deep” into the process of assessing the creek’s water quality. It was the perfect opportunity to put theory into practice and to demonstrate firsthand how water quality impacts our environment.
Heal the Bay staff shared insights into our Stream Team’s process to tests for fecal indicator bacteria, explaining how these pollutants signal ecosystem and public health risks and how this science informs both our Beach Report Card and River Report Card. Members of Sacred Places Institute shared the historical and cultural significance of water, reflecting on Indigenous water stewardship in the LA area, past and present, and highlighted the ongoing work to restore urban waterways.
At Las Virgenes Creek, before we started our fieldwork, Sacred Places Institute’s Land, Water, and Climate Justice Director Jessa Calderon (of the Tongva, Chumash, and Yoeme Nations) began with a prayer to honor nature. She sought permission to collect a water sample and waited for the land and water to indicate consent—an important step in ensuring that our work was in harmony with the environment. With no signs of refusal from the land, we proceeded to collect water samples. This approach underscores the importance of integrating Indigenous perspectives into water quality testing programs, where the land isn’t just a resource, but a partner in the process.
Reflecting on the training, Sacred Places Institute said: “Participating in the Heal the Bay water quality testing training validated the continued need for local and state stringent water policy regulations and enforcement as one way to keep waterways free from industrial development contamination and stormwater runoff. Moreover, it reinforced the need for water back to local Native Nations as the inherent guardians of local waterways and as an effort to reintroduce the traditional caretaking knowledge for water as a means to help bring it back to balance.”
After collecting samples, we headed back to the Heal the Bay lab. Tests revealed low E. coli levels but elevated Enterococci and total coliforms, which are other types of bacteria found in the intestines of humans and animals. While E. coli levels were low and typically a primary concern for water contamination, the elevated levels of Enterococci and total coliforms suggest that there may still be a potential health risk for people who come into contact with the water. These bacteria are indicators of fecal contamination, which could pose a risk of illness, especially if someone swallows contaminated water or has open cuts.
We were honored to be able to share our knowledge and learn so much from our long time partners at Sacred Places Institute. By blending our scientific methods and Indigenous knowledge, we deepen our understanding and strengthen Heal the Bay’s commitment to safe, clean water for all. Support our mission to protect LA’s waterways.
(Los Angeles) – Heal the Bay is proud to announce it has been selected as a 2024 California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin of District 42.
Heal the Bay is one of more than one hundred nonprofits that will be honored by their state senators and assemblymembers for their outstanding contributions to the communities they serve.
“Nonprofit organizations touch the lives of millions of Californians in ways that can often go unrecognized. From the childcare program to the soccer team, from the art class to the health clinic, and from the community organizer to the animal shelter – nonprofits improve the lives of all Californians and make our communities stronger,” said Geoff Green, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits), a partner for this initiative. “Nonprofits are also a key economic driver in our state, accounting for 1 in 14 jobs. It’s important to recognize all they do.”
According to “Causes Count,” a 2019 report commissioned by CalNonprofits, the nonprofit sector is the 4th largest industry in the state, employing more than 1.2 million people. Each year, California nonprofits generate more than $273 billion in revenue and bring in $40 billion in revenue from outside of California. The unpaid labor contributed by volunteers at nonprofits is equivalent to 330,000 full-time jobs every year
Now in its ninth year, the Californian Nonprofit of the Year initiative provides the opportunity for each California state legislator to recognize a nonprofit organization doing outstanding work in their district. The program culminates with a celebratory luncheon at the Capitol on California Nonprofits Day, which this year is June 5.
The program is sponsored by the CalNonprofits in partnership with the state Senate and Assembly Select Committees on the Nonprofit Sector. CalNonprofits, the leading policy voice for California’s nonprofit sector, focuses on advocacy, education, and research to build a more powerful and politically engaged nonprofit network across the state.
-A note in partnership with the The California Association of Nonprofits
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October 29,2024 — There are exciting propositions that could lead to important environmental change on California’s general election ballot this year. We created this voter guide to help you make the most informed vote possible on the environmental issues facing California and Los Angeles. On November 5 (or earlier, if you’re voting by mail), cast your votes with confidence.
Ready? Set! VOTE!
Proposition 4: California Climate Bond – the safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, drought preparedness, and clean air bond act
The issue: Approving Proposition 4 would authorize $10 billion to be spent on environmental and climate projects. The most significant portion, $3.8 billion, would be spent on water projects. Half of those funds would be earmarked to improve water quality. The remainder will be allocated to protecting the state from floods, droughts, and other activities, including restoring rivers and lakes. The rest of the money would be spent on:
The stakes: California has yet to recover from the multiple atmospheric rivers that fell between December 31, 2022, and March 25, 2023. The heavy rain fall resulted in massive property damage and at least 22 fatalities across the state. Intensifying storms, L.A.’s aging infrastructure, and ongoing sea level rise are ingredients for a perfect storm that could wreak havoc on coastal properties and shorelines while seriously straining our local economy. Is L.A. ready? Prop 4 gives our region a chance to build resiliency and buffer our fragile water systems against weather whiplash.
Our recommendation: Cast your ballot for climate ready beaches and neighborhoods. Vote YES.
Proposition 5: Lower voter threshold for local infrastructure bonds
The issue: State law currently requires a super majority (2/3) for passage of local housing and infrastructure bond measures, which restricts the ability of local voters to approve those bonds for their communities. Prop 5 would lower the threshold from 66.67% to 55% for passage of local bonds related to infrastructure for water, parks, housing, transportation and more.
The stakes: Los Angeles’ water infrastructure has been historically underfunded, which is why 33% of our sewage infrastructure is past its expected lifespan. We need to upgrade sewage infrastructure now as well as invest in water recycling and stormwater capture to improve water quality, protect public health, and to secure a reliable climate-resilient water supply. Prop 5 would apply to all local housing and infrastructure bond measures, and will, for example, allow local communities to more easily invest in critical water infrastructure.
Our recommendation: Making it easier to fund critical water infrastructure projects will protect public health. VOTE YES.
Measure US*: Aging LAUSD schools require urgent infrastructure funding
The issue: LAUSD schools need infrastructure funding. About 80% of the buildings were built over 50 years ago and need upgrades for student and faculty safety and daily experience. LAUSD owns 6,400 acres of land in Los Angeles which presents an enormous opportunity to include multi-benefit stormwater capture in property upgrades.
The stakes: LAUSD forecasts $80 billion in unfunded fixes and necessary campus improvements. This ranges from faulty A/C units, lack of shade and green space, leaky roofs, plumbing, and much more. As we experience hotter days and weather extremes in the face of climate change, we must prepare for the future and invest in spaces where our kids spend so much time. This $9 billion bond is the first step to address some of these disparities and work towards technology improvements for students, accessibility, and energy efficiency/electrification. Specifically, $1.25 billion is earmarked for school greening projects, like planting trees, increasing shade, ripping up asphalt, and creating outdoor learning spaces. These upgrades not only improve our students’ physical and mental health but can also capture stormwater, reducing the pollution reaching our coastal waterways.
Measure US funding will:
Our recommendation: Support investing in a healthier school environment for our LAUSD students. Greener schools mean greener communities. VOTE YES.
*City of Los Angeles voters only.
Got election questions? Not sure when/where/how/if to vote? Visit the Secretary of State’s election FAQ page.
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Heal the Bay today took historic legal action to put an end to one of the existential threats facing our local beaches and ocean – plastic pollution.
We have joined a coalition of leading environmental groups in filing a lawsuit against ExxonMobil, the world’s largest producer of single-use plastic polymers. California’s Attorney General also filed a similar lawsuit today.
For the past 40 years, we’ve hosted tens of thousands of beach cleanups in L.A. County. Our volunteers have removed over 2 million pounds of plastic-strewn trash from our shorelines and inland waterways.
Today, we say “No more!”
Instead of cleaning up the wreckage created by Big Plastic, we are moving aggressively to stop the harm at its source.
The coalition complaint, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, alleges violations of California’s nuisance law and unfair competition law. In the suit, the plaintiffs argue there must be corporate accountability for a decades-long campaign to bury the truth about the known environmental, economic and human health impacts caused by plastics.
The bold action harkens back to Heal the Bay’s first victory in 1990, when it successfully secured a legal settlement with the City of Los Angeles to stop dumping partially treated sewage into the Bay from its Hyperion wastewater treatment facility.
For months, Heal the Bay’s policy staff has been quietly meeting with our peers at Surfrider Foundation, the Sierra Club and San Francisco Baykeeper. Today’s action marks the first step in a coordinated campaign to legally hold Big Oil accountable for the production of wasteful and harmful single-use plastics.
In April 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta launched an investigation into ExxonMobil (and other fossil fuel industry giants) for their role in the plastic pollution problem. Based on those findings, Bonta’s office today filed a concurrent lawsuit against Big Plastic. This marks a more aggressive approach to stop plastic pollution at its source rather than merely remediating it.
As alleged in the complaint, ExxonMobil-produced polymer resins are responsible for over 6 million metric tons of plastic waste annually — equivalent to the weight of 300,000 garbage trucks. Polymers are used to produce so-called “nurdles.” These BB-sized plastic pellets are the building blocks of such wasteful and harmful single-use items as plastic bags, water bottles and snack packaging. This debris winds up contaminating our environment and our bodies, at every stage of its product lifecycle. By 2050, there will be more plastic in the world’s oceans than fish, according to some studies.
Even with recycling programs in place for decades, less than 5% of domestic plastic is recycled into another plastic product, despite being labeled as “recyclable.” The vast majority of plastics end up littering our public places, winding up in overtaxed landfills, or floating in garbage vortexes in our oceans.
Given falling demand for gasoline as electric cars proliferate, plastics will be the greatest growth market for Big Oil in the next decade.
Plastic production and disposal are also a significant contributor to ever-worsening climate change, responsible for roughly 3% of all carbon emissions worldwide. The doubling of plastics production in the next two decades will contribute to the wildfires, famine and heat stroke that jeopardize the lives of millions.
Plastic pollution never biodegrades. Instead, plastic pollution breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces — sometimes referred to as microplastics. Avoiding microplastics in our daily lives is virtually impossible. It is in our drinking water, it is in the food we eat, and it is even in the air we breathe.
Over the course of a lifetime, the average person will unknowingly consume more than 40 pounds of plastic. Microplastics have been found in human blood, heart tissue, placentas, and even breast milk.
A Heal the Bay volunteer sorts through plastic pollution on a Southern California beach.
Today’s filing is just the first step in what could be a years-long legal fight. Just as with our victory at Hyperion, a steady application of grassroots pressure will be required to force deep-pocketed Big Oil to change its harmful practices.
We will be calling on all our supporters in the coming months to add their voices to the chorus of everyday people fed up with single-use plastics. We will also need the financial assistance of donors to help defray costs associated with the lawsuit.
In the next few months, Heal the Bay’s science and policy team will continue to gather data to hold Big Oil’s feet to the fire.
DONATE TO SUPPORT THIS LEGAL ACTION
Today is just the first day in a long fight.
To receive regular updates on how you can make your voice heard, please click here.
Heal the Bay is encouraged that the City of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $20.8 million to make much-needed improvements at its Hyperion Water Reclamation Facility, the site of the 2021 sewage spill that saw 12.5 million gallons of untreated wastewater discharged to Santa Monica Bay.
Three years have passed since the significant spill at the Hyperion Treatment Plant, Los Angeles’ oldest and largest wastewater facility. Since the incident, Heal the Bay has been dedicated to collaborating with LA City Public Works and Sanitation, along with various agencies and organizations, to ensure that any issues within the plant’s system are swiftly addressed. Our ongoing efforts aim to safeguard the health and safety of Hyperion’s workers, the general public, and the environment. For details on Heal the Bay’s initial findings and subsequent recommendations, click here.
Approximately $20 million will be used to rectify ongoing operational issues recently identified by a Technical Advisory Group to ensure that the facility can safely treat wastewater even during large rain events. Those challenges will be exacerbated in the decades to come as climate impacts worsen and we see more frequent and more intense storms. Tracy Quinn, Heal the Bay’s CEO, served on the Technical Advisory Group.
The City of Los Angeles is still negotiating a settlement with the state’s Regional Water Quality Control Board over the massive 2021 spill. We are urging the Regional Board to impose meaningful fines that can be directed toward environmental projects to address the harm caused by discharge. Any fines should also be used to invest in technology that moves the City closer to producing potable recycled water instead of dumping treated wastewater uselessly into the sea. Stay tuned for further updates.
Local college students keep residents safe by conducting bacterial tests at freshwater sites throughout L.A. County.
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. Unfortunately, despite the popularity and heavy use of freshwater recreation sites throughout the state, there is still not a comprehensive statewide water quality monitoring or notification program like we have for ocean beaches.
That’s where Heal the Bay’s Stream Team steps in – powered by local students.
Protecting the public from potentially harmful water has been Heal the Bay’s mission for the past 30 years with the Beach Report Card. Inland neighborhoods deserve the same public health information that coastal communities have.
To meet the needs of those communities, Heal the Bay monitors water quality at 35 inland freshwater recreation sites in greater L.A. Our science and policy staff analyze samples taken from local creeks, rivers, swimming holes and storm drains for fecal indicator bacteria, which can cause a number of serious illnesses.
We are fortunate to have the assistance of 14 students from regional colleges and universities help us gather samples and report findings. This year’s Stream Team members are helping monitor 12 inland freshwater sites this summer, all within the greater Los Angeles area, from Sepulveda Basin to Long Beach and Malibu Creek State Park.
Now in its sixth year, the Stream Team program this summer welcomes students from California State University Long Beach, Los Angeles Trade Technical College, California State University Los Angeles, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz.
We are committed to giving students professional work opportunities. We focus on providing practical experience in environmental fieldwork and laboratory analysis, increased exposure to database entry and management and development of communication and outreach experience. Summer interns also learn best practices for engaging with community members and stakeholders to promote environmental awareness.
Stream Team members are in charge of sampling at their assigned sites and carefully transporting the samples back to their respective laboratories. Students are tasked with processing these samples, where they incubate for 24 hours. The next day, students assess the samples and determine levels of total coliforms, E. coli and enterococci.
Using these results along with testing results from Los Angeles Sanitation in the L.A. River Recreation Zones, students assess a total of 35 freshwater sample sites and calculate A+ through F letter grades, using the newly implemented grading system introduced last season. You can read about the latest River Report Card and an analysis of greater L.A.’s cleanest and most problematic freshwater recreation areas here.
These grades, assembled by several Stream Team members, are displayed on Heal the Bay’s River Report Card website, which is updated weekly throughout the summer (June to September).
As part of their work, Stream Team members were recently asked to share their experiences regarding the start of the 2024 sampling season. Some returning students have been working with Heal the Bay for several years. Some new students are joining the program for the first time.
Expectations vs First Impressions
Lyanne Fernandez: “Malibu Creek looked as expected but parts of the L.A. River vary greatly from site to site in ways that I did not expect. I never imagined how some parts of it look like a real, natural river.
Kate Medrano: “I had never actually visited the L.A. River, only seen it from a distance. I always just imagined it to be dirty and contaminated water, now I realize how much wildlife it contains and how diverse it really is.”
Sanam Viliani: “Before working for Heal the Bay, I had never visited the L.A. River, having only seen the creeks and drainage systems closer to the ocean. I expected the L.A. River to look similar, but I was surprised to find it had much more vegetation than I had imagined.”
A Future for Freshwater
Vina Matias: “Water is important for many aspects of life for both humans and animals. It’s required for living organisms to function, it can serve as habitats, it supports recreational activities, and so on. River monitoring contributes to the health of rivers because the data shows us their current status… With the data collected, we can understand how current policies and protocols are having an impact. Additionally, this data can help support the need for a plan of action to improve and protect our water sources… The data we collect is the starting point for action.”
Danny Herrera-Lopez: “This work is crucial for the community and environment because not only does it give us tangible evidence of pollution occurring all along the L.A. River but it also helps educate the population and locals on how we personally are being affected and how local wildlife is affected.”
Vicente Villaseñor: “Our work with the Summer Stream Team contributes to the understanding and protecting local water resources through education. Our findings of each site showcase to the public the levels of water quality, and by doing so, we are informing the public about the inherent risk that comes with natural bodies of water, whether that is through the L.A. River or the Pacific Ocean. There are always risks with local water resources, and we only try to provide information for their own sake. This is critical for the community and the environment that there is a group actively supporting groups of people’s use and access to clean safe water.”
Our River Report Card aims to keep summer stream-goers safe and informed about water quality. Through consistent efforts, Heal the Bay hopes to create substantive and lasting change in how the L.A. River is managed so that all Angelenos can have equal access to safe and clean freshwater.
Our work would not be possible without the contributions of our team of students: Amy Flores, Vina Rose Matias, Lyanne Fernandez, Danny Herrera-Lopez, Thais Arata, Vicente Villasenor, Kate Medrano, Sanam Viliani, Emily Uy, Ellie Garcia, Zaria Alam, Alejandra Miranda, David Garcia and Blaire Edwards.
Before you explore our watershed this summer, remember not to swim for up to three days after a rain event, and check the River Report Card before you go. By making informed decisions, we can keep ourselves and our community safe.
Support our River Report Card and Stream Team Program with a $30 donation today!
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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.
Ten sites earned an annual A+ grade:
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.
Six sites received an annual F grade, which placed them on our Freshwater Fails list. Water contact should be avoided in these areas:
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.
Read the Full River Report Card
Before heading to the water, the public can see updated water quality grades for their local freshwater recreation areas at healthebay.org/riverreportcard. iPhone users can also download the Beach Report Card app on their mobile devices.
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.
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
Read the Full Beach Report Card
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