Local Beaches Rated A+ to F

When Heal the Bay released its 20th Beach Report Card last Wednesday, Will Rogers State Beach at Sunset Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway (the Santa Ynez drain area) was named to the Beach Bummer List.   However, just south of there, the beach at Temescal Canyon, where non-surfers enjoy swimming, made the Honor Roll.   Beaches up and down California are given letter grades ranging from A to F based on the presence of three indicator bacteria, which are tested weekly by various county officials.   Los Angeles County led Heal the Bay’s annual Beach Bummer List with five locations. The 10 most polluted beaches (starting with the worst) are’Avalon on Catalina Island, Cowell Beach (Santa Cruz County), Cabrillo Beach harborside, Poche Beach (Orange County), Santa Monica Municipal Pier, Colorado Lagoon, Baker Beach at Lobos Creek (San Francisco County), Capitola Beach (Santa Cruz County), Vacation Isle North Cove Beach in Mission Bay (San Diego County) and Santa Ynez Drain beach, which receives runoff from the Highlands.   In previous years, the Santa Ynez beach received A’s and B’s, but ‘here’s the issue,’ said Heal the Bay President Mark Gold. ‘The dry-weather runoff diversion completely failed for a 6- to 8-week period in September, October and November. ‘As a result, the county went in and fixed it (poor maintenance prior to that), but the damage had been done on the grades.   ’This is why the Beach Report Card is so important,’ Gold continued. ‘It brings attention to problem beaches that are usually clean. We won’t be seeing problems at Sunset of this magnitude again.’   He also noted that L.A. County lags in water quality because monitoring agencies, unlike most other agencies in the state, collect samples directly in front of flowing storm drains and creeks.   On a more positive note, Will Rogers at Temescal Canyon drain was one of 76 (out of 326 beaches statewide) with year-round dry weather grades of A+, placing it on the inaugural Honor Roll listing. Four Will Rogers’ beaches (at 17200 PCH, at the Bel-Air Bay Club, at Pulgas Canyon and at Chautauqua) received A grades. Castle Rock Beach (north of Gladstone’s) received a D and Santa Ynez an F.