California's beaches maintained solid summer water quality overall, but a troubling shift emerged in wet-weather conditions, according to Heal the Bay's 2025-26 Beach Report Card released ahead of Memorial Day weekend. The environmental nonprofit found that statewide wet-weather grades dropped from 67% to 61% due to rainfall, stormwater runoff, and aging infrastructure—a decline that underscores a growing public health vulnerability as climate patterns shift.

Santa Monica Pier ranks second on the 'Beach Bummer' list for the 10th straight year

According to Heal the Bay's report, the Pier in Santa Monica has earned a spot on the organization's annual 'Beach Bummer' list for a full decade, placing second this year behind Playa Blanca near Tijuana. The report attributes both beaches' poor grades to elevated bacteria levels and chronic pollution concerns. Playa Blanca ranked as California's most polluted beach overall, while the Tijuana Slough at the Tijuana River Mouth in San Diego County also made the top 10 worst-performing list. Other chronic problem spots include Linda Mar Beach at San Pedro Creek in San Mateo County and Pillar Point Harbor's Capistrano Road Beach, also in San Mateo County.

The persistence of these hotspots suggests that localized infrastructure and pollution sources remain unresolved despite years of monitoring and public awareness. As the report says, "No one should get sick from a weekend in our waters," Heal the Bay CEO Tracy Quinn stated, framing water quality as a direct public health issue rather than merely an environmental metric.

Wet-weather grades collapsed from 67% to 61% as stormwater infrastructure fails

The sharpest alarm in the 2025-26 report concerns the six-percentage-point drop in beaches earning passing grades during rainy conditions. According to the report, this decline reflects the strain that rainfall and stormwater runoff place on aging California infrastructure—a problem that will likely intensify as extreme weather events become more frequent. The finding underscores a critical gap: while 91% of California beaches earned A or B grades during dry summer conditions,the same beaches often fail to meet safety standards within days of rain.

This pattern is not new, but its acceleration is significant. Stormwater systems designed decades ago now carry vastly more pollutants from urban and agricultural runoff, and many municipalities lack the funding or political will to upgrade them. The wet-weather decline suggests that beachgoers face a hidden calendar: safe to swim in summer, risky for three days after any rainfall.

Los Angeles River's lower watershed remains a chronic pollution zone

Heal the Bay's companion River Report Card identified recurring freshwater pollution hotspots concentrated in urban sections of the Los Angeles River watershed. The worst grades clustered near the Rio Hondo confluence and Hollydale Park along the lower Los Angeles River, as the report documents. The Los Angeles River below the Rio Hondo Confluence and below the Compton Creek Confluence both earned failing marks, as did Eaton Wash at Sierra Madre Boulevard in the upper watershed and Tujunga Wash at Hansen Dam.

These specific locations suggest that pollution sources—whether industrial discharge, aging sewage infrastructure, or urban stormwater—remain concentrated in predictable zones. The fact that the same stretches appear year after year indicates that remediation efforts, if any, have not yet moved the needle significantly.

Honor Roll beaches dropped from 62 to 21, signaling a broader water quality erosion

Perhaps the most striking finding is the collapse in elite-performing beaches. Only 21 beaches statewide earned Honor Roll status for receiving A-plus grades in all monitored weather conditions , down sharply from 62 beaches the previous year, according to Heal the Bay's assessment. Los Angeles County's Bluff Cove in Palos Verdes Estates was among the few beaches receiving top marks across all conditions. This dramatic decline—a 66% drop in one year—suggests that either monitoring standards tightened , pollution worsened , or both. The report urged beachgoers to avoid swimming within 72 hours after rainfall and to stay away from storm drains , river outlets, and stagnant water areas, practical advice that amounts to a warning that California's beaches are increasingly unsafe by default rather than safe by default.