By Jorge Casuso

July 18, 2024 -- Despite multi-million-dollar upgrades, the Santa Monica Pier remains one of the most polluted beaches on the west coast, according to the Heal the Bay's 2023-24 Beach Report Card.

Of the more than 700 beaches graded -- from Washington to Baja California -- only two beaches suffering from sewage-contaminated runoff in Mexico's Tijuana region received worst grades than the Pier.

The Pier, which topped Heal the Bay's infamous Beach Bummer list last year fell to third place but "remains a concern" as it faces "ongoing challenges in controlling sources of pollution," according to this year's report.

"Despite improvements like a stormwater capture system installed in 2018 and renewed efforts to manage pollution from bird feces, water quality issues persist," the report said.

"Efforts like bird deterrent netting have proven ineffective or have not been adequately maintained," according to the report.

"The persistent water quality issues are compounded by polluted runoff and continuous urban activities in the vicinity that exacerbate pollution at the pier."

Heal the Bay's grades are based on "concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria measured at ocean beaches" that "indicate the presence of pathogen-containing fecal matter."

The level of bacteria present "is currently the best indication of whether or not a beach is safe for recreational water contact," according to the report.

This is the third year in a row the Pier had landed on Heal the Bay's Beach Bummer list of the ten beaches with poorest Summer Dry Grades and the seventh time it has made the list over the past ten years.

This year the Pier received straight Fs during wet weather year round, as well as during summer and winter dry weather, .

The area around the Pico-Kentor storm drain South of the Pier also did poorly, receiving a C during summer dry weather and an F for both winter dry weather and wet weather year round.

Other Santa Monica Beaches received top grades for both dry summer weather and wet weather, with no grades given for dry winter weather.

• The beach at Montana Avenue received A+ for both,
  
  
• The beach at Wilshire Boulevard received an A+ and A, and
  
  
• The beach at Strand Street received an A for both.

The beach in Ocean Park around the Ashland Avenue storm drain received an A during summer dry weather, a B during winter dry weather and a C during wet weather.

Wet weather grades may have been boosted by the lack of reporting during heavier than usual rains that "washed pollutants, including bacteria, into the ocean," the report said.

"While water quality did clearly decline with wet weather, this year the grades were not as poor as expected because the storm severity made it difficult to collect water quality samples during or immediately after the rainfall, according to the report.

"Fewer samples taken during wet weather, and specifically during the largest storms, likely led to Wet Weather Grades that were above average," the report noted.

The Tijuana River Mouth topped this year's Beach Bummer list, highlighting "the extreme challenges from tens of millions of gallons of untreated sewage that spill into the ocean annually."

Also more polluted than the Pier was Playa Blanca in Baja California, which "continues to suffer from sewage-contaminated runoff from the Tijuana region."