Water Quality East of Malibu Pier Fails For Third Consecutive Summer

While L.A. County beaches were cleaner this summer than in years past, the water quality east of the Malibu Pier received an "F" grade consistently all summer, according to an End of the Summer Beach report Card released Tuesday by Heal the Bay.

"Despite numerous site visits by Heal the Bay staff, a pollution source has yet to be identified," a press release stated.

Heal the Bay, a nonprofit environmental organization, said in a statement it will continue to work with Los Angeles County Environmental Health to "further investigate and mitigate potential bacteria sources."

This is the third consecutive summer that the Malibu Pier has suffered poor water quality, according to the report.

Avalon Beach on Catalina Island also received a low grade for the eighth summer in a row. In addition, inner Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro received poor water quality grades. 

Malibu residents began to notice and comment on the failing water quality at the Malibu Pier from a report card published weekly on Malibu Patch. They speculated that the pollution could come from pigeons roosting on the pier, concession stands, nearby businesses as well as naturally occurring bacteria from kelp.

eal the Bay warned that high grades may not last if two recent proposals from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are adopted. One seeks new acceptable bacteria levels that Heal the Bay deems less protective than criteria that have been in place for 25 years. The other would eliminate grant funding that pays for water monitoring programs nationwide.

View the entire report card, which analyzes data from 446 beaches along the California coast, at http://beachreportcard.org/.

-City News Service contributed to this report.