4 Los Angeles County beaches remain under high bacteria warning despite high levels of bacteria since 2004
In 2006, bacteria from sewage flowed into a water fountain at the Hermosa Beach Recreation Center. After the water fountain had been disinfected, the bacteria levels began to drop and a new health advisory issued in the spring of 2007. But in April of 2013, bacteria levels once again rose at the Hermosa Beach Recreation Center. As of this morning, no one is being charged for using the center’s water fountain. (Photo courtesy of Hermosa Beach Police Department)
After a series of high bacteria levels in the water at Los Angeles County beaches this past summer, the county has lifted the health advisory for L.A. County beaches, but the warnings won’t be lifted until June 2016.
L.A. County officials continue to recommend following the county’s recommended “beaches at risk” by taking simple measures to keep bacteria and fecal matter out of the water.
The county’s beaches remain under the highest bacteria warning in the county since 2004, and the bacteria levels remain high, said Jim Isom, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.
The bacteria warning is part of a countywide bacteria alert system and is issued when levels are above the level deemed “inadequate” and when levels exceed what the county considers “health-protective levels.”
“Beaches at risk” for bacteria levels above the “inadequate” level include Hermosa Beach, La Jolla Shores, Point Dume, Pacific Coast Highway, La Playa, Malibu, Pacific Park, El Pescador, Malibu Pier, Malibu Beach, Pacific Palisades and El Capitan, he said.
The bacteria levels remain high during the hottest and busiest summer of the year, Isom said. The county does not recommend swimming during the current period of high bacteria levels due to the risk of skin infection, health risk and public health issues that come with swimming in warm bodies of water, he said.
Public Health Director Dr
