We’ve had a really wet winter and with all the good things that brings, the downside is how that effects the health of Palos Verdes Beaches. Actually, beaches all across the coast are affected by wet winters as bacteria, debris and just general yuckiness gets washed out toward the coast

So what is the health of the Palos Verdes Beaches? How did they fare relative to other beaches in Southern California?

Palos Verdes Beaches Health Report

We really appreciate the wet winter because it was pretty much a “drought buster”. That’s great news of course, we really needed all the rain. Los Angeles county beaches however were adversely effected by all the wash off of the land.

The environmental group, Heal The Bay, reported however that the Palos Verdes Beaches escaped nearly all of the ill effects of this “wash off”. We get, normally, improving water quality during the summer months but the huge amount of rain has slowed that “improvement”.

On the other hand, Palos Verdes Beaches such as Bluff Cove, Portuguese Bend and Abalone Cove ranked on the group’s “honor roll” with A+ ratings!

To put that in perspective, while 93% of the county beaches rank A grades during the summer months, about half earn an F grade during winter. “We want people catching waves, not bugs, when they head to the beach,” said Sarah Sikich, vice president of Heal the Bay. “The reassuring news is that if you swim at an open-ocean beach in the summer away from storm drains and creek mouths you statistically have very little risk of getting ill.”

Ok, so what beaches do you want to stay away from that may have high bacteria counts?

Santa Monica Pier (sixth in the state)
Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey (ninth)
Clam Beach County Park in Humboldt County (most polluted in the state of California)
San Clemente Pier placing second worst
Monarch Beach in Dana Point ranked 10th worst

On a more positive note, four beaches in the county were listed on the organization’s “Honor Roll,” which recognizes beaches monitored year-round that score perfect A+ grades for the report’s three time periods two in Malibu and two in Palos Verdes

Well, now that you’ve seen this would you like to see homes for sale around Palos Verdes Beaches?