By Jorge Casuso
October 1, 2009 -- The water around the Santa Monica pier remains among the dirtiest in the State despite the City's efforts to tackle the chronic problem, according to Heal the Bay's "End of Summer Beach Report Card."
While the beach around the pier got a D, other Santa Monica beaches aced the test, according to the report card released Wednesday.
The beaches at the Montana Avenue drain and the Wilshire Boulevard drain on the north side of the city and at Strand Street in Ocean Park all got an A+, while the beach at the Pico/Kentor storm drain scored an A.
The pier beach's poor grade has long been the result of a leaky storm drain line that doesn’t reach the surf, causing the polluted water to pond underneath the pier. The City has filled the pond with sand and put in place a diversion project to funnel dry-weather runoff into the sewer.
It also completed a stormwater project before Memorial Day using money from a parcel tax approved by voters in November 2006. But the problem still persists.
"Some engineering and maintenance problems have occurred over this summer leading to periods of improved and declining water quality," Heal the bay officials wrote.
"Santa Monica is continuing work with UCLA and Heal the Bay to determine additional pollution sources and potential maintenance modifications."
Last summer, a Natural Resources Defense Council report found that the beach around the pier logged one of the highest levels of fecal bacteria in ocean water.
According to the Heal the Bay's report Wednesday, the beach around the pier failed to meet state water quality standards for fecal bacteria during summer dry weather 103 times between April 1 and September 7.
That was nearly double the 64 times exceeded by Dockweiler Beach, the second most serious violator in Los Angeles County, according to the report.
The leading culprits were birds that drop fecal matter into the water, along with human feces swept in through storm drains, according to City and environmental officials.
The City Council recently took steps to install netting to deter pigeons from roosting under the pier rafters, a move decried by animal activists.
The pier wasn't the only local area that exceeded the acceptable bacteria count. The beach around the Pico/Kentor storm drain exceeded the count 12 times, while the beaches at the Ashland Avenue drain in Ocean Park and the Wilshire Boulevard drain exceeded the count three times each.
The drain at Montana Avenue and the beach at Strand Street exceeded the count one time each.
The City recently unveiled its first “green” street, which can harvest stormwater runoff and its pollution and infiltrate it into the ground instead of the ocean. ("Santa Monica Street Turned Green," July 15, 2009)
Overall, Santa Monica Bay beaches fared better than last summer, with 60, of 66 monitoring
locations, or 91 percent, receiving A or B grades compared to 86 percent last year.
This summer, 92 percent of the 458 sites across the state received A or B grades during the beachgoing season, according to the report. The grades are slightly better than last year, when 91 percent of beaches received high marks.
“Record low rainfall has helped maintain great water quality at the vast majority of California’s beaches for the third summer in a row,” said Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay.
“But we can’t become complacent in our efforts to improve water quality in the summer season. We need long-term funding for beach monitoring and to ensure that problem beaches are safe for swimming every summer.”
