Areas Between Lifeguard Tower and Boat Dock Received All Failing Grades
By Zach Armstrong
The waters around Marina del Rey’s Mother’s Beach were listed among California’s most polluted according to environmental non-profit organization Heal the Bay’s 2022-2023 Annual Beach & River Report.
“The characteristics that make [Mother’s Beach] a great destination for families also make it prone to bacteria pollution,” the report read. “This beach is enclosed within Marina del Rey so there is little wave action and water circulation. Similar to the San Mateo Beach Bummers, pollution does not get flushed away from the shore as it does at beaches on the open ocean.”
The areas between Lifeguard Tower and Boat dock got a failing grade in the report in all areas of summer, winter and wet (after rainfall) conditions. The area at the playground was only different by getting a “B” grade in summer conditions.
Last year, L.A. County Department of Beaches and Harbors found that most fecal pollution at the beach comes from birds. The department is planning to install bird deterrents around Mother’s Beach. The beach was also closed for a few days this year due to 64,000 gallons of sewage spilling.
Coastal counties in California got 50% more rainfall than the decade average during the winter months, while the state saw 19 large storm events from October 2022 to March 2023, far more than the six the state usually gets.
The extreme amounts of precipitation caused landslides, floods, power outages and blizzards. The rainfall had multiple negative impacts on water quality by washing pollutants such as bacteria into the ocean, leading to a decline in Wet Weather Grades.
