Hampered in part by winter storms, water quality declined at beaches across California in 2023-24, according to an annual report released Wednesday by an environmental group, which placed the Tijuana River Mouth in the top spot on its dreaded "Beach Bummer" list.
The annual Beach Report Card released by Heal the Bay assigns letter grades of A through F to beaches based on bacterial pollution levels. The report rates 700 Pacific Coast beaches stretching from Washington to Baja.
According to the report, 89% of California beaches received A or B grades during the dry-weather summer months, a 6% decline from last year. Southern California beaches fared about the same as those statewide, with 90% of them receiving A or B grades.
During the winter season, however, only 66% of California beaches received overall A or B grades, according to the report, which noted that the state received 31% more rainfall during the reporting period than the 10-year average.
"Eighty-nine percent of California beaches were safe to swim at during summer 2023, but we are still seeing water quality impacts from record- breaking storms, urban runoff and sewage spills," Tracy Quinn, Heal the Bay's CEO and president, said in a statement. "California's 20th century water infrastructure was not designed to address the challenges faced by climate change in the 21st century. We need to upgrade outdated sewage treatment facilities and prioritize public investment in nature-based, multi-benefit stormwater capture infrastructure."
Four San Diego County beaches made the Beach Bummer list, and — along with two beaches in Baja California — all of them are directly adjacent to the Tijuana River and its years-long sewage and pollution problem. Besides the Tijuana River Mouth topping the list, the Tijuana Slough was fourth, Imperial Beach at Seacoast Drive was seventh and Border Field State Park was eighth. Playa Blanca and El Faro — either in or adjacent to Tijuana — came in second and 10th, respectively.
"The Beach Bummers in San Diego County and Baja all suffer from persistent sewage issues," Heal the Bay wrote. "The Tijuana River annually discharges tens of millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the ocean, originating from inadequate sanitation infrastructure in Tijuana.
"Enhancements are underway, including the U.S. EPA-funded upgrades to the Punta Bandera treatment plant and the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plan. Heal the Bay advises against swimming at these beaches until the upgrades are completed, which may take a decade or more," the group added.
Overall, 12 beaches in the state landed spots on Heal the Bay's coveted Honor Roll, meaning they received A+ grades throughout the summer and winter reporting seasons. That's up from just two that made the list last year, but noticeably down from the traditional 30-50 beaches that normally earn perfect scores.
Of the 12 beaches on the Honor Roll, nine are in Orange County. Two San Diego County locations — Point Loma Lighthouse and Encinitas Moonlight Beach — landed on the Honor Roll, along with County Line Beach in Ventura County.
