Heal the Bay Releases 33rd Annual Report Card, Grading Palisades Beaches

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

Heal the Bay released its 33rd Annual Beach Report Card for 2022-23, which includes data for beaches in Pacific Palisades.

Heal the Bay—an environmental nonprofit—assigned A through F letter grades to 500 beaches across California based on levels of fecal-indicator bacterial pollution in the ocean.

“The main goal of the Beach Report Card is to keep people safe when they go to the beach,” according to Heal the Bay. “We accomplish this by turning water quality data into easy-to-understand grades.

“The Beach Report Card is an important and comprehensive public health tool, providing weekly and annual water quality grades based on bacterial pollution … For all beach users, we recommend using the Beach Report Card to understand the risk of getting sick.”

Heal the Bay reported that 2022 Summer Dry Grades were “excellent” across the state, 95% of California beaches received A and B grades. Meanwhile, Winter Dry Grades fell below average, with 83% of beaches receiving A and B grades. Wet Weather Grades also fell below average, with 56% of beaches receiving A and B grades.

The annual report stated coastal counties across California received 50% more rainfall than the 10-year average, causing floods, power outages—as well as multiple negative impacts on water quality.

Rain water tends to wash pollutants into the ocean, reflective in the “wet grades.” Heal the Bay reported an “alarming” 45 million gallons of sewage spilled into ocean and coastal waterways in the past year.

Santa Monica Pier was deemed one of the state’s most polluted beaches after receiving F grades across the board. The beach shares the first place title of “Beach Bummer” with Playa Blanca in Baja California. Bird feces is said to be the “main culprit” for the poor water quality, and the city is in the process of replacing the bird deterrent netting beneath the pier.

Will Rogers State Beach, which is monitored at Pulga Canyon storm drain and Santa Monica Canyon, received staggering grades of As and Fs.

During Summer (measured April through October 2022), Will Rogers received grades of A+ and A. Temescal Canyon and Bel-Air Bay Club received an A and A.

For Wet Weather (April 2022 through March 2023), the Pulga Canyon storm drain and Santa Monica Canyon site received grades of F and F. Temescal Canyon and Bel-Air Bay Club were graded A+.

During Winter (measured November 2022 through March 2023), Will Rogers received grades of A+ at Pulga Canyon Storm Drain and F at Santa Monica Canyon.

Topanga Beach at creek mouth received a B for Summer Dry Grade, D for Winter Dry Grade and F for its Wet Weather Grade. It previously made the “Beach Bummer” list in 2019-2020.

Heal the Bay reported that only two beaches qualified for the Honor Roll this year, marking the shortest Honor Roll ever seen, compared to 50 last year. To make the Honor Roll, a beach must be monitored weekly all year and receive an A+ for all seasons and weather conditions.

The Point Loma Lighthouse in San Diego and Bean Hollow State Beach in San Mateo are the sole Honor Roll beaches this year.

For more information, including the full Beach Report Card and River Report Card, visit healthebay.org/beachreportcard2022-2023.