By Jorge Casuso
May 21, 2009 – Most Santa Monica beaches got high marks for water quality on Heal the Bay’s annual report card, but the beach around the pier once again received a failing grade, although City officials hope replacing a leaky drain pipe will help clean up the problem spot.
The report released Wednesday once again gave the area around the century-old pier an F and ranked it fifth on the annual Beach Bummer List of the most polluted sites in the state.
“The Santa Monica Pier’s continuing water quality problems were a disappointment again this year,” Heal the Bay officials said in a statement.
“A poor grade means beachgoers face a higher risk of contracting illnesses such as stomach flu, ear infections, upper respiratory infections and skin rashes than swimmers at cleaner beaches.”
But major repairs to the old, leaky storm drain that allowed polluted runoff to pond under the pier, as well as a new pump to divert dry weather runoff to the Santa Monica Urban Runoff Reuse Facility (SMRF) for treatment, should reduce storm water pollution and runoff entering Santa Monica Bay. (“Pipe Dream Takes Shape,” April 3, 2009)
The recently completed improvement project -- which was bankrolled with funds from Measure V, an initiative narrowly approved by Santa Monica voters in 2006 -- should “protect swimmers at the Santa Monica Pier this summer,” Heal the Bay officials said
While the area around the pier remained polluted, other city beaches continued to receive high grades after having diverted the flow of storm water into the sewer system instead of the ocean.
The beach around the Montana Avenue drain on the city’s north side, as well as the beach around Strand Avenue in Ocean Park on the city’s south side both received an A+ for dry weather runoff.
The beach around the Wilshire Boulevard drain got an A, although, as was the case with every Santa Monica beach, it did not receive a wet weather score.
The beach at Pico Boulevard dropped to a B after having received top grades thanks to a diversion system that siphons the polluted water from the Pico-Kenter storm drain to the SMRF facility near the pier.
Heal the Bay’s 19th annual Beach Report Card assigned A-to-F letter grades to 94 beaches in Los Angeles County for the dry-weather period from March 2008 through April 2009, based on levels of weekly bacterial pollution.
“Only 70 percent of sites earned A or B grades, a state-low total for the fourth year in a row and nearly even with last year’s 71 percent tally,” Heal the bay officials said.
Overall dry-weather water quality in Los Angeles fell slightly below the county’s five-year average, with a handful of chronically polluted beaches – including the area around the pier – helping to drag down the county’s overall grades, officials said.
By comparison, Orange County beaches recorded grades well above the state average, with 97 percent of the 103 monitoring locations receiving an A or B during the summer, as well as 93 percent for year-round dry weather.
Ventura County also enjoyed excellent water quality during the summer months, with 51 of the 53 beaches monitored receiving A grades, according to the report.
The Beach Report Card is a comprehensive evaluation of coastal water quality based on daily and weekly samples taken from sites along the entire coast of California.
