What Are the Dirtiest (and Cleanest) Beaches in California?

Dashel Pierson
·1 min read

Every year, the environmental nonprofit organization, Heal the Bay, releases its Beach Report Card, scoring beaches from Washington to Tijuana on pollution levels.

And today, the grades are in. So, who got an “A”? And who got an “F”?

“The good news is 95% of the California beaches assessed by Heal the Bay received an A or B grade during summer 2022, which is on par with the average,” the report states.

However, there were a handful of fails, according to the reports “Beach Bummer List”:

  • 1-2. Playa Blanca, Tijuana Area

  • 1-2. Santa Monica Pier, LA County

  • 3. Linda Mar Beach, San Mateo County

  • 4. Marlin Park, San Mateo County

  • 5. Erckenbrack Park, San Mateo County

  • 6. Tijuana River Mouth, San Diego County

  • 7. Pillar Point Harbor, San Mateo County

  • 8. Marina del Rey Mother’s Beach, LA County

  • 9. Poche Beach, Orange County

  • 10. Gull Park, San Mateo County

“This year, Santa Monica Pier and Playa Blanca in Tijuana tied for the top spot as both faced significant water quality challenges,” the report said.

On the other side of the spectrum, there was the “Honor Roll List” (which was significantly smaller compared to previous years):

  • Point Loma, Lighthouse, San Diego

  • Bean Hollow State Beach, San Mateo

According to the report:

“This year, only two out of over 500 monitored beaches made it on the Honor Roll compared to 51 last year. Unfortunately, the unprecedented amount of rain that fell across California during the 2022–2023 winter led to an enormous dip in water quality and a very short Honor Roll list.”

To read the full report, head here.

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