After three years of improvement, the quality of beach water in Long Beach has decreased by 40 percent, according to the annual beach report card released May 25 by the environmental group Heal the Bay.
The annual beach report gives letter grades to California beaches based on weekly state-mandated tests that look for bacteria in the water.
The overall water quality at Los Angeles County beaches has decreased between April 2010 and March 2011. Only 75 percent of county beaches received A’s or B’s, down from 80 percent last year.
Long Beach received some of the worst grades with only four beaches, or 27 percent of its’ beaches receiving A’s and B’s, according to the report.
Beaches such as Long Beach at Molino and Coronado Ave. and Alamitos Bay received D’s, while Long Beach’s Mother’s Beach and both north and south Colorado Lagoon received F’s, according to the report.
If a beach has a high bacteria count, pathogens that increase a swimmer’s chances of ear infections, skin rashes, and stomach illnesses are likely to be in the water.
The city of Long Beach’s Environmental Health Division monitored 15 locations on a weekly basis, down from 25 locations the previous year, according to the report. This is the second year that Long Beach has monitored 10 fewer beaches than it did in 2008-2009 due to cost cutting measures.
Long Beach was the only monitoring program in Los Angeles County that did not collect samples at the mouth of a storm drain or creek throughout the year because most monitoring locations are not near storm drains.
Both the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers receive storm water runoff from nearly 1,500 square miles and have outlets near the city’s beaches.
Extensive studies throughout Long Beach have shown that the Los Angeles River is the predominant cause of pollution for the city’s waters, according to the report. Having nearly 1,000 square miles of drainage, it is the main source of fecal bacteria.
Although the Los Angeles River will continue to be a cause of contamination, investigations launched by Long Beach have led to the discovery and repair of leaking and damaged sewage pump lines, and storm drain diversions that were working improperly.
While the repairs are a step in the right direction, Long Beach water quality will ultimately be directly tied to rainfall amounts and runoff volumes from the Los Angeles River.
Heal the Bay is a non-profit environmental organization that has been compiling the beach report card for over 20 years. The organization advises all swimmers to stay safe by avoiding flowing storm drains and waiting at least 72 hours after a rain storm before entering any beach waters.
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