Officials still advise avoiding waters at Mother’s Beach and near Santa Monica Pier

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health continues to advise that visitors to Mother’s Beach in Marina Del Rey and the Santa Monica Pier avoid the water due to high bacteria levels.

The advisory comes nearly a month after 17 million gallons of raw sewage were discharged from the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in Playa del Rey into the Santa Monica Bay.

The county has not ruled out a link between the emergency discharge on July 11 and the rise in bacteria, but officials say a connection is “unlikely,” given the currents and the time that has elapsed since the incident.

Warnings were recently lifted for Inner Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, Malibu Lagoon at Surfrider Beach, the Bel-Air Bay Club at Will Rogers State Beach, and Avalon Beach at Catalina Island, where testing put water quality levels within state standards.

The advisories for Mother’s Beach and the Santa Monica Pier persist, however, with the county warning against swimming, surfing or playing in ocean waters around discharging storm drains, creeks, and rivers.

County health officials are now testing nearby waters daily, rather than weekly. Information about beach conditions is available through the Department of Public Health 24-hour beach closure hotline, (800) 525-5662, or on its website.