In the annual “Beach Bummer” report card issued Thursday morning by Southern California environmental nonprofit watchdog group Heal The Bay, the Santa Cruz attraction, a favorite among tourists and locals alike, slipped to the third most contaminated beach statewide.
It had held the No.
1 position for the three previous years, and remained at least in the top two slots for seven years.
The report uses weekly bacterial pollution reports to assign A-to-F grades for 416 beaches.
Above Santa Cruz on the list were Humboldt County’s Clam Beach County Park in McKinleyville and Orange County’s San Clemente Pier in San Clemente.
Neighboring Capitola Beach has moved up into the No.
I’m very thankful for the contributions of the Cowell Beach Working Group and that of our Wastewater and Wharf staff to put measures into place that will improve water quality.” In response to Cowell’s continuously poor showing, the city of Santa Cruz formed the Cowell Beach Working Group, with representatives from the city, Santa Cruz County, Save the Waves, Sierra Club and Surfrider Foundation, two years ago.
The working group believed that bird droppings collected in the stagnant area may have resulted in increased bacteria counts.
The nonprofit cites the increase in polluted runoff headed funneling in storm drains and out to the state’s coastline.
Creation of a new technical advisory committee is in the works to analyze the data and refine recommendations, and city workers will increase its efforts to move birds off the wharf near the shoreline, according a release by Deputy City Manager Scott Collins.