4 Los Angeles County beaches remain under high bacteria warning

Melissa Hernandez
·1 min read
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Marina del Rey, California-Aug. 8, 2020-Summer activities at Mother's Beach in Marina del Rey, California on Aug. 8, 2020. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
Mother's Beach in Marina del Rey in August 2020. Mother's Beach is one of four Los Angeles County beaches that retested for high levels of unsafe bacteria during this week's routine water sampling. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Four Los Angeles County beaches remain under health advisories this week for high levels of bacteria in the water.

Recent water samples conducted by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health showed that the Santa Monica Pier, Mother's Beach in Marina del Rey, the 40th Street extension in Manhattan Beach and the Manhattan Beach Pier all retested for high levels of unsafe bacteria during this week's routine water sampling.

County health officials are cautioning beachgoers from swimming, surfing and playing in the ocean until bacteria levels drop below state standards.

According to the Department of Public Health's website, L.A. County ocean water is analyzed for three types of indicator bacteria: total coliform, enterococcus and E. coli. While these bacteria can typically be found in the natural environment, as well as the intestinal tract of warm-blooded animals (including humans), their overabundance can indicate the presence of other disease-causing bacteria and viruses.

Earlier this week, advisories for Inner Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro were lifted after water samples found bacterial levels had returned to normal.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.