8 Beaches Flunk Annual Survey

By JAMES RAINEY

May 24, 1996 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Summer doesn’t officially begin for another month, but for millions of Southern Californians primed for the Memorial Day weekend, the vital statistics say otherwise: four more hours of sunlight than at Christmastime, 65- to 75-degree air temperatures, ocean waters only a few degrees cooler than that.

And one more number: eight.

That’s the number of swimming spots around Santa Monica Bay that the environmental group Heal the Bay advised swimmers to avoid because of storm drain runoff and other sources of pollution.

The beaches--including Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey and Surfrider Beach in Malibu--are the few unsafe swimming areas along more than 60 miles of Los Angeles County coast, according to Heal the Bay’s annual report card on ocean safety.

The environmental group said Thursday that a recent health study--confirming for the first time illnesses linked to swimming in the bay--reinforces the importance of avoiding the areas that are unhealthy.

“These are beaches we can now say for sure will make people sick and t [where] they should not swim,” said Roger Gorke, the science and policy analyst for the group, who analyzed reams of water quality data to draft the report.

In most cases, the public can avoid the contaminated water by moving at least 100 yards from the flowing storm drain or creek at those beaches. The greater discharge from Malibu Creek is more difficult to avoid; it fouls the more than a quarter-mile stretch from renowned Surfrider down the coast past the Malibu Pier.

The environmental group urged that Mother’s Beach--which earned its name because of its popularity with families and small children--be closed because of continuing high levels of bacteria. Although the exact source of the contamination is not known, researchers have long suspected that recreational boaters and a nearby bird sanctuary might be the sources of pollutants.

“It should no longer be a recreational swimming beach. It’s that simple,” said Mark Gold, executive director of Heal the Bay.

A few bathers enjoying Mother’s Beach or splashing in its waters Thursday were dismayed at news of the pollution.

“Gosh, that really messes everything up,” said Emmet Flores, 18, of Marina del Rey, who came to the spot with his 21-month-old son. “It’s too bad. There are no waves here. It’s a really nice, safe beach for kids.”

One young woman swimmer left the water, saying she had no regrets. “I have seen the water dirty sometimes, but today it looked clean to me,” said the woman, who declined to give her name.

A lifeguard who regularly swims at the beach suggested there might be some risk, but he wondered if authorities will ever shut the beach, given its proximity to several hotels. “Tourism is very big here,” said the lifeguard, who declined to give his name. “And if we closed the beach, what would that say to people about this area?”

Officials at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services have not been asked by environmental groups to close the beach. In the 1980s, it was closed for 16 months because of contamination.

Lifeguards expect 1 million to 1.5 million people to visit Los Angeles County beaches this weekend, with Sunday and Monday being the busiest days.

And if pollution isn’t enough, beach-goers need to be especially careful, once they’ve scouted out those storm drains, of strong rip currents. County lifeguards said 80% of their 10,000 rescues a year are related to riptides. Guards can advise swimmers of current conditions.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Bay Watch

Heal the Bay has released its annual beach report card. The Beaches of Santa Monica Bay are generally clean enough to swim at if bathers take a few precautions: Stay away from storm drains and don’t swin for three days after a rain. An A grade indicates the cleanest sectors of the bay; F areas should be avoided. Heal the Bay uses data collected by the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation and the county Department of Heath Services.

1. Zuma Beach: A

2. Latigo Shore Drive: B

3. Surfrider Beach: F

4. Mouth of Las Flores Creek: A

5. Topanga Beach: B

6. Will Rogers Beach: F

7. Santa Monica Pier, 50 yards south: F

8. Ashland storm drain, 50 yards south: D

9. Venice Beach: A

10. Mother’s Beach: F

11. Ballona Creek, 50 yards south: A

12. Imperial Highway storm drain: A