INDICATOR

 STATUS

Los Angeles County Health and Los Angeles City Sanitation officials monitor beach water quality for certain kinds of bacterial contamination. If levels of bacteria exceed the standards, health officials notify the public by posting signs indicating a warning or closure is in effect.  There are different pollution standards for wet weather and dry weather months. This differentiation exits because rain contributes significantly to urban runoff and beach water pollution.

This measure reports on the six Santa Monica beaches:  Montana, Wilshire, the Pier, Pico-Kenter, Strand and Ashland.  During dry weather (April-October), the target for this indicator is 0 warnings and closures at any Santa Monica beach location. The target during wet weather (November-March) is no more than 3 days with warnings or closures at any Santa Monica beach location on non-rainy days during wet weather months. The target for rainy days during the wet-weather months is currently being determined.

Wet Weather
From 2002 to 2004, there were between 12 and 14 wet weather initial warnings each year.  In 2005, the number grew to 19, and finally 25 in 2006.  One beach closure lasting 3 days occurred in 2003 as a result of a sewage spill.

Dry Weather
Between 2002 and 2004, dry weather initial warnings hovered between 16 and 20 per year.  In  2005, warnings rose to 28, and in 2006 stands at 35.  In 2004, there was one dry weather beach closure that lasted 8 days.

● Santa Monica has set timetables prohibiting the use of non-recyclable food service containers in city facilities, and next year in food service operations in the city as a whole, further demonstrating the city’s commitment to protecting the bay and its marine habitat.

● Sales of recycled water from Santa Monica's Urban Runoff Recycling Facility (SMURRF) increased 35% to a total of 32 million gallons per year. 

The major sources of beach water pollution are urban storm water, polluted runoff and sewage overflows.  According to Heal the Bay’s California Beach Report Card, Los Angeles County has the worst water quality grades in the state, and the reported fecal bacteria levels are rising.   The Beach Report Card further posited that this increase may actually be a result of more accurate monitoring techniques adopted in Los Angeles County, rather than a material change in the volume of pollutants present.  Still, the level of pollutants and the number of days under health warning are high and increasing.

Of particular concern is the beach at Santa Monica Municipal Pier, rated the sixth worse beach in California in the Beach Bummer rating by Heal the Bay.  The high bacteria readings at that spot result from a huge nesting bird population and resultant bird waste combined with beach geography which concentrates that waste. The problem may be exacerbated by the fact that the monitoring location is directly in front of an urban runoff pipe.  Regardless, Pier beach has exceeded bacteria limits sixty-six times since April 1, 2007, a situation city staff are working hard to correct.

Some positive developments have occurred in this area in 2006. Santa Monica voters approved the Clean Beaches and Ocean parcel tax which will fund aecent win for environm comprehensive 20-year plan to improve water quality in Santa Monica Bay, increasing recreational options and controlling local flooding by enhancing investment in stormwater infrastructure and pollution control.

Further, in a move to make cities and counties accountable for beaches within their limits, in September 2006, the Regional Water Control Board approved incorporation of limits on the presence of unhealthy bacteria levels in Santa Monica Bay into the Los Angeles County Storm Water Permit.  This ruling further provides that cities and other polluters need to address the source of the pollution and may incur fines for the discharge of bacteria into the Bay.