How safe is the water at SLO County beaches? Here’s the latest Heal the Bay report
How safe is the water at your favorite beach spot?
According to environmental nonprofit organization Heal the Bay, most beaches along the San Luis Obispo County coast generally had great water quality from April 2022 through March 2023.
Ocean water at those spots became polluted from storm runoff during rainy weather, the report found.
Each year, Heal the Bay gathers beach water quality testing data from more than 700 beaches from Washington state to Tijuana, Mexico. The Los Angeles-based group presents its findings in a school report card format to show which beaches generally have good water quality — and which do not.
The grades in the latest beach report card are based on concentrations of three types of fecal indicator bacteria at beaches: total coliform, enterococcus and fecal coliform, also known as E. coli. While these bacteria are not harmful, such concentrations indicate whether there is a presence of pathogen-containing fecal matter.
One exposure to fecal matter in water can make someone sick.
Heal the Bay separated the data into three categories: summer dry weather grades, winter dry weather grades and wet weather grades.
Due to the powerful winter rain storms that pummeled California, Heal the Bay was unable to score any of the winter dry weather grades properly, the organization said.
This year’s report card focuses only on the summer dry weather and wet weather grades, Heal the Bay said.
According to the beach report card, summer grades were typically high in San Luis Obispo County beaches because there was little to no storm water runoff flowing into the Pacific Ocean.
Wet weather grades were usually the worst grades because stormwater often causes sewage spills and harmful bacteria to flow into the ocean.
All San Luis Obispo County beaches scored well during the summer months in 2022, according to the Heal the Bay report.
Only one coastal spot —Avila Beach near the pier — scored less than an “A” during the summer months on Heal the Bay’s report card. The “B” grade it received means indicator bacteria was detected in some of the samples collected there.
During wet weather from December 2022 through March, most beaches scored well in San Luis Obispo County, Heal the Bay said.
However, Avila Beach near the pier and Morro Bay City Beach at Morro Creek scored the lowest with “F” grades, according to the beach report card.
Morro Bay City Beach at Atascadero Road scored a “C” grade, while Olde Port Beach and Morro Strand State Beach at Beachcomber Drive scored “B” grades, the report card said.
These lower grades indicate that, during rainy weather, these beaches likely had lots of stormwater runoff bringing harmful pollution into the ocean.
A total of 558,826 gallons of sewage spilled into San Luis Obispo County waterways in 2022–2023, according to the Heal the Bay report.
“As climate change continues to bring weather whiplash, our water woes will swing from scarcity to pollution. This year, record precipitation produced major impacts on water quality across Coastal California,” Tracy Quinn, president and CEO of Heal the Bay,said in a written statement. “Now more than ever, we must prioritize multi-benefit projects to manage stormwater as both a water quality and supply solution, all while ensuring that the public is kept informed of risks to public health.”
Tips to stay safe at ocean and freshwater areas
Heading to the beach? Here’s how to stay safe while recreating at the ocean or a freshwater body of water.
- View the San Luis Obispo County Environmental Health Services’ beach water quality monitoring website for the latest water quality info.
- Avoid shallow, enclosed beaches with poor water circulation.
- Swim at least 100 yards away from flowing storm drains, creeks and piers.
- Stay out of the water for at least 72 hours after a rain event.
- Check in with the lifeguard or ranger on duty for more information about the best places to swim.
