By Lookout Staff

March 12, 2026 -- It's safe to wade into the water at most Santa Monica beaches as summertime temperatures hit the region on Thursday and Friday.

Los Angeles County Public Health on Monday lifted its water quality advisories for the beaches at Montana Avenue, Wilshire Boulevard, Strand Street and Ashland Avenue.

The advisories remain in place 100 yards up and down the coast for the Santa Monica Pier and the Pico-Kenter storm drain.

Visitors to those areas should "avoid swimming, surfing, and playing in ocean waters" with bacteria levels exceeding health standards, Health officials advised.

Sites are considered potentially unsafe if the concentration of bacteria exceeds the level at which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates 32 out of 1,000 swimmers will get sick from the water.

The water quality around the Pier -- which is routinely under water quality advisories -- suffers from debris from large crowds, fecal matter from birds and its proximity to the Pico Kentor storm drain, which receives runoff that carries bacteria.

The high levels of bacteria persist despite more than $100 million spent by the City over the last five years to protect Santa Monica Bay and improve beach water quality.

Heal the Bay's 2024-25 Beach Report ranked the Pier as the second most polluted beach on the West Coast ("Pier 2nd Most Polluted Beach on West Coast," May 23, 2025).

City officials note that the Pier water represents only 5 percent of Santa Monica beach, which consistently receives high grades for water quality ("Water Quality Under Pier Gives Santa Monica Beaches a Bum Rap, City Officials Say," August 21, 2023).