84 Percent Of LA County Beaches Receive Top Grades In Heal The Bay's 2013 'Beach Report Card'
HERMOSA BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Heal the Bay released its 23rd annual Beach Report Card Thursday morning.
The report card, which was published at 11 a.m., grades water pollution levels at 445 California beaches on an A through F scale. This year, 93 percent of the monitored beaches received an A or B summer grade, that's a 1 percent increase from last year.
The better the grade a beach receives, the lower the risk of illness to ocean users.
Some 84 percent of Los Angeles County beaches received an A or B summer grade, a 4 percent increase from its five-year seasonal average.
The following beaches were named on the organization's Honor Roll for getting perfect A plus grades throughout the year.
Orange County: Surfside Beach, Balboa Beach, El Moro Beach, Blue Lagoon, Camel Point, Laguna Lido Beach, 9th Street 1000 Steps Beach and San Clemente Trafalgar Canyon.
Los Angeles County: Leo Carillo Beach at Arroyo Sequit Creek mouth, Zuma Beach at Zuma Creek mouth, Las Tunas County Beach at Pena Creek, Hermosa City Beach at 26th Street, Palos Verdes (Bluff) Cove, Abalone Cove Shoreline Park and Cabrillo Beach.
Ventura County: Oil Piers Beach, Surfer's Knoll, Oxnard Beach Park at Falkirk Avenue and Starfish Drive, Hollywood Beach at Los Robles Street and Ormond Beach.
Heal the Bay also unveiled its annual "Beach Bummer List", an annual review of the 10 most polluted beaches in the state. For the fourth time in five years, Avalon Harbor Beach on Catalina Island was named the top spot. Three other LA County beaches were named on the list as well as two Orange County ones. Only 3 percent — or 14 beaches — were given a D or F summer grade.
To see the grades for all beaches, click here.
To ensure water safety, beach-goers and surfers can now use Heal the Bay's free Beach Report Card app that has weekly analysis of coastline water quality for the West Coast.
RELATED: LA County Leads Heal The Bay's 'Beach Bummer List' Yet Again
