Just in time for summer, here are the cleanest and dirtiest beaches in SoCal

A big increase in the number of clean beaches in Southern California is good news as summertime approaches. But the reason local spots are faring better on Heal the Bay’s annual report card could be a remarkably dry rainy season.

Just 12 beaches received an A+ grade last year on the report card, which lists the cleanest and dirtiest beaches up and down the West Coast. This year, 62 locations out of more than 500 have made it onto what Heal the Bay calls the honor roll.

Plenty of them are in L.A., Orange and Ventura counties.

The grading system takes into account how much fecal indicator bacteria — found in the digestive tracts of humans and animals — are present in water tests taken throughout the year. These bacteria are monitored because they not only make people sick, but they can also serve as indicators for serious pathogens like the cholera-causing vibrio cholerae.

Rain carries bacteria from humans, pets and leaking sewer systems out to the ocean. And this year — less rain, less runoff.

Certain beaches may also fare worse if they have poor circulation, which allows water quality to stay degraded for longer.

If you plan to swim in the ocean, it’s always good to check recent water quality reports, from Heal the Bay or L.A. County Public Health, if you can.

Fire debris runoff wasn’t taken into consideration for this report card.

The cleanest beaches

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Courtesy Heal the Bay

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L.A. County, 7 beaches, including:

• Long Point, Rancho Palos Verdes
• Dockweiler State Beach at Grand Avenue
• Hermosa Beach at 26th Street

Orange County, 35 beaches, including:

• Dana Point Harbor, Pier
• Huntington Beach at 17th Street
• Laguna Beach at West Street

Ventura County, 5 beaches, including:

• County Line Beach
• Port Hueneme Beach Park, north of the pier
• Silverstrand at Sawtelle Avenue

San Diego County, 12 beaches, including:

• Encinitas, San Elijo State Park, Pipes surf break
• Cardiff State Beach, Las Olas
• Oceanside at Forster Street

The dirtiest beaches

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Courtesy Heal the Bay

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These were especially bad, even when it was dry out.

The Santa Monica Pier was the dirtiest beach in Los Angeles County. Blame a ton of birds pooping in the water there and urban runoff.

San Diego County was gnarly as well, particularly along the U.S.-Mexico border, thanks to untreated sewage from Tijuana. Avoid swimming in the Tijuana River Mouth, at Imperial Beach and Border Field State Park.

What’s the solution for cleaner beaches?

“There’s no silver bullet, one-size-fits-all way to handle rainwater,” said Annelisa Moe, associate director of science and policy at Heal the Bay.

However, building infrastructure to capture and clean rainwater can keep it from flushing as many pollutants out to the ocean, she said.

That could include capturing and sending the first flush of rainwater to the sewer, so that it can be cleaned; by building nature-based stormwater solutions such as constructed wetlands, which can filter contaminants; or by sending water to spreading grounds to allow it to percolate deep into reservoirs.

Stopping untreated sewage from being dumped in the ocean could help as well.