By Lookout Staff

April 9, 2025 -- Beachgoers can enter the water at nearly all Santa Monica beaches and recreate on the sand but should avoid any debris from the recent Palisades Fire, LA County Health officials said Wednesday.

The announcement comes after Public Health lifted the ocean water quality advisory for fire-impacted beaches from Las Flores State Beach to Santa Monica, where only the area around the Pier remains unsafe.

The decision was based on the results of tests conducted on ocean water and beach sand by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, according to Health officials.

The results of the testing "revealed no chemicals related to wildfires at levels that are dangerous to human health," officials said.

Beachgoers should still avoid fire debris, since it "may contain harmful substances and physical hazards such as glass, metal, and sharp wooden debris."

Due to high levels of bacteria, visitors to Santa Monica Beach should continue to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in the water near the Pier, County Health officials warned.

The Public Health advisory remains in place for the area extending 100 yards on either side of the Pier as well as a similar stretch just south around the Pico-Kenter storm drain, according to the advisory.

Sites are considered potentially unsafe if the concentration of bacteria exceeds the level at which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates 32 out of 1,000 swimmers will get sick from the water.

The health advisories are common for the Pier, which Heal the Bay's 2023-24 Beach Report Card named one of the most polluted beaches on the West Coast ("Santa Monica Pier 3rd Most Polluted West Coast Beach," July 18,2024).

The water quality near the pier consistently suffers from debris from large crowds, fecal matter from birds and its proximity to the Pico Kentor storm drain, which receives runoff that carries bacteria, according to health officials.