LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is advising against swimming, surfing, and playing in ocean waters at five area beaches due to excessive bacteria levels. This warning comes just in time for Memorial Day weekend, when many people flock to the beach.
- Santa Monica Canyon Creek at Will Rogers State Beach (100 yards up and down the coast from the creek near Will Rogers Tower 18)
- Mother Beach in Marina Del Rey (entire swim area)
- Malibu Lagoon at Surfrider Beach (100 yards up and down the coast from the public restrooms)
- Santa Monica Pier (100 yards up and down the coast from the pier)
- Inner Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro (entire swim area)
All of these locations have been found to have bacterial levels exceeding health standards in recent tests conducted by the county.
On a positive note, the department has lifted earlier warnings for two area beaches after recent samples showed water quality levels within state standards. The cleared beaches are the Temescal Canyon storm drain at Will Rogers State Beach and the Pico-Kenter storm drain at Santa Monica State Beach near Santa Monica South Tower 20.
For information on beach conditions, you can call the county’s beach closure hotline at 1-800-525-5662, which is available 24 hours a day. You can also find a map of impacted locations and more information at PublicHealth.LACounty.gov/Beach/.
