Bacteria warning issued for popular California beaches

Image: LA County Public Health website

LOS ANGELES – Citing high bacteria levels, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Monday warned residents to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters at six area beaches.

The department’s warning covers:

• Inner Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro (entire swim area);
• Malibu Lagoon at Surfrider Beach (100 yards up and down the coast
  from the public restrooms);
• Mothers Beach in Marina Del Rey (entire swim area);
• Santa Monica Pier (100 yards up and down the coast from the pier);
• Pico-Kenter storm drain at Santa Monica State Beach (100 yards up
  and down the coast from the storm drain); and
• Topanga Canyon Beach in Malibu (100 yards up and down the coast
  from the Lagoon).

The department said those locations were found to have bacterial levels exceeding health standards when last tested.

Meanwhile, the department lifted earlier warnings for four area beaches after recent samples found water quality levels within state standards.

The cleared beaches are Walnut Creek at Paradise Cove; Castlerock Storm Drain at Topanga County Beach; Santa Monica Canyon Creek at Will Rogers State Beach, near Will Rogers Tower 18; and    Escondido Creek at Escondido State Beach.

Information on beach conditions is available 24 hours a day on the county’s beach closure hotline at 1-800- 525-5662. A map of impacted locations and more information is available here.

The Recreational Waters Program routinely collects ocean water samples every Monday at 40 sampling sites extending from the Ventura/Los Angeles County border to south of the Redondo Beach pier. In addition, five samples are collected at Avalon Beach on Catalina from April through October. Samples are collected in the surf zone and analyzed by the Department of Public Health laboratory for total coliform, E. coli and enterococcus bacteria.

The public is notified when a site has exceeded State Standards for bacteria in ocean water on this website, by telephone hotline, and by signs posted at the impacted beaches. (With CNS report)