Dana Point Ocean Water Quality: How Clean Are South OC Beaches?

DANA POINT, CA — How clean is your favorite Dana Point beach's ocean water? Of the 500 beaches surveyed in the golden state, 35 received perfect grades, and 10 of them were in Orange County, according to the 31st annual Heal The Bay Annual Beach Report Card.

As of Wednesday, Orange County Health Care reported ocean water cleanliness conditions favorable across the board, save for Main Beach in Laguna Beach, Newport Harbor, and Baby Beach in Dana Point. Those three beaches were under Ocean Water Warnings Thursday, having bacteria levels that exceed state health standards and may cause illness. That water will be tested once again before the holiday weekend.

"Over the past 40 years, the Health Care Agency and two local sanitation agencies (the Orange County Sanitation District and South Orange County Wastewater Authority) have been testing the coastal ocean, bay and harbor waters in Orange County for bacteria that indicate the possible presence of disease-causing organisms," OC Health Care reports on their Ocean Quality website. Results of the tests are reviewed by Health Care Agency Environmental Health staff, and if the data indicates contamination, warning or closure signs are posted at the beach depending on the extent and cause of the contamination. Signs are posted at locations where contamination was detected so that you will know where it is not recommended to swim. That data is also sent to Heal The Bay for their annual reporting purposes.

All 500 beaches in California were graded from A+ to F based upon a year's worth of collected measurements in bacterial pollution and overall cleanliness and water quality. Samples were collected by health officials between April and October of 2020, researchers say. Still, the ongoing drought has created concerns about the future of California's beach quality once the rains return.

Heal the Bay ranks all of California's freshwater fails, beach bummers and honor rolls, reporting 93 percent of all California's beaches with A or B grades.

Download the full Beach Report of All Dana Point And Orange County Beaches here.

Orange County had the most beaches with perfect grades in the state. For the second year, San Mateo County has one of the dirtiest beaches in the state and Los Angeles County's Mother's Beach in Marina Del Rey failed once again the report states.

"Polluted waters pose a significant health risk to millions of people in California," they wrote in the study. "People who come into contact with water at a C grade or lower are at greater risk of contracting illnesses such as stomach flu, ear infections, upper respiratory infections and rashes."

In California, the biggest "Beach Bummers" included beaches in San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Humboldt and Santa Cruz counties.

A total of 35 beaches had a perfect score and made it to the "honor roll," according to Heal the Bay. These beaches had perfect water quality grades all year long, though this list has 7 fewer beaches than the previous annual report.

Orange County tops the honor roll with 10 A+ scores, followed by Los Angeles, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Alameda Counties. Each of these counties had at least one beach with a perfect water quality grade.

Orange County's A+ Honor — Perfect Score— Beaches:

1. Newport Bay, Promontory Point – Orange County
2. Crystal Cove (CSDOC) – Orange County
3. Newport Beach, at Orange Street – Orange County
4. Newport Beach, at 52nd/53rd Street – Orange County
5. Balboa Beach Pier – Orange County
6. Balboa Beach, The Wedge – Orange County
7. Crystal Cove – Orange County
8. 1000 Steps Beach, at 9th St. – Orange County
9. North Aliso County Beach – Orange County
10. Treasure Island Beach – Orange County

The Top 10 Beach Bummers In California:

1. Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Tijuana River mouth – San Diego County
2. Foster City, Erckenbrack Park – San Mateo County
3. Capitola Beach, west of jetty – Santa Cruz County
4. Foster City, Gull Park – San Mateo County
5. Marina del Rey Mother’s Beach, between Lifeguard Tower and Boat dock – Los Angeles County
6. Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, 3/4 miles north of Tijuana River – San Diego County
7. Clam Beach County Park at Strawberry Creek – Humboldt County
8. Foster City, Marlin Park – San Mateo County
9. Candlestick Point, Windsurfer Circle – San Francisco County
10. East Beach at Mission Creek – Santa Barbara County

How Does A Drought Affect Water Quality?

During dry winter conditions, 92 percent of beaches scored an A or B, but during wet weather, just 57 percent of beaches received top marks.

The report notes that the wet weather results may be skewed by lower-than-usual water sampling during the period, with five counties not collecting any samples during wet weather. Poor wet-weather grades are concerning, the report's authors say, given that rainfall in coastal counties was 41 percent below the historical average over the winter, yet the beach quality grades still fell.

Shelley Luce, Heal the Bay president/CEO, wrote in the report that climate change continues to present challenges for the coastline.

"All regions of California are experiencing extreme or exceptional drought conditions in 2021," Luce said. "Although decreases in rainfall generally improve water quality, our beaches and ocean ecosystems are still threatened by sea-level rise, ocean acidification and other pollution sources. This is alarming as we expect people to increasingly seek out ocean beaches and freshwater swimming holes to cool off as local temperatures rise."

The report is endorsed by the State Water Resources Control Board.