Local News in Brief : Beach Pollution Blamed on Birds

A study has concluded that bird droppings are the primary source of pollution that has kept Marina del Rey’s only public beach closed for a year.

A draft report by a Pasadena engineering firm says the high counts of fecal bacteria found in the waters of Mother’s Beach--named because it is used by parents with small children--come from shore birds that gather nearby. The report concludes that runoff from an adjacent restaurant parking lot and, to a lesser extent, from a bird and small animal sanctuary also contributed to the pollution.

Larry Charness, a planner with the county Department of Beaches and Harbors, said the county will fill the beach with about 6 inches of clean sand, reroute the drainage from the restaurant parking lot and try to move the birds away from the beach.