Four Malibu beaches make Beach Bummer list

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Four Malibu beaches received F grades and made Heal the Bay’s Beach Bummer list, which lists the top 10 most polluted beaches in the state, in its 2011-2012 Beach Report Card released last week. Photo courtesy of Heal the Bay

According to Heal the Bay, four of California’s most polluted beaches in 2011-12 are in Malibu. Two other local received perfect grades.

By Carly Erickson / Assistant Editor

Environmental group Heal the Bay released its 22nd Annual Beach Report Card last Thursday, and it was not kind to Malibu. Four Malibu beaches made the Beach Bummer list, a tally of the most polluted beaches in California. While the majority of Los Angeles county beaches saw improvement from last year’s report, some Malibu beach grades dropped.

In the 2010-2011 report, all Malibu beaches escaped the Beach Bummer List. This year, Puerco Beach at Marie Canyon, Surfrider Beach, Solstice Canyon Beach and Escondido Beach were all given F grades and placed on the Beach Bummer list. Topanga State Beach just south of Malibu also made the list this year and last year.

While the appearance of four Malibu beaches on the last list after none making it last year sounds alarming, Heal the Bay staff said not much has changed.

“If you look at last year’s grades, those same beaches were still problematic,” Heal the Bay water quality director Kirsten James told The Malibu Times.

James explained that in terms of the list of every beach in the state, some rise and drop out of the top 10 from year to year.

“They’re chronically impacted beaches, so this year they rose to the top in the state,” James said. “We’re hopeful different measures moving forward can help quality at these beaches.”

Not all Malibu beaches received failing grades. Two even made the report’s Honor Roll. Encinal Canyon at El Matador State Beach and Las Flores State Beach received A+ grades.

Also on the positive side were Nicholas Beach, Walnut Creek, Puerco State Beach, Malibu Point, Big Rock, Pena Creek and Castlerock Beach, which all received As for their summer dry weather reading. Additionally, Leo Carrillo, Broad Beach, Paradise Cove and Carbon Beach received Bs.

Coming in the middle of the pack with C summer grades were Zuma Beach and the Latigo Canyon Creek Mouth. Little Dume received a D for its dry summer reading.

Heal the Bay analysts assigned A to F letter grades to 91 beaches throughout Los Angeles County for the dry weather period between April and October 2011 based on levels of weekly bacterial pollution. This year, 82 percent of county beaches received A or B grades, which is up from 75 percent in last year’s report. However, the statewide average of beaches earning As and Bs is 92 percent.

The environmental watch dog group says poor grades mean a higher risk for disease.

“The Beach Report Card is a comprehensive evaluation of coastal water quality based on daily and weekly samples taken from sites along the entire U.S. Pacific Coast,” a Heal the Bay press release states. “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 clean beaches.”

The five agencies in Los Angeles County that contributed monitoring information to the report card are the City of Los Angeles’ Environmental Monitoring District, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Environmental Program, the Los Angeles County Sanitation District, the City of Long Beach’s Environmental Health Division and the City of Redondo Beach. All the monitoring agencies, except Long Beach, collect samples throughout the year at the mouth of a creek or storm drain.

To view the full report, visit healthebay.org.