Popular Bay Area beach continues to see high levels of fecal bacteria: report

(KRON) — A Bay Area beach beloved for its surfing but plagued by high bacteria levels only got worse in the last year, according to the Surfrider Foundation’s annual Clean Water Report released Tuesday, just ahead of Memorial Day weekend.

Volunteers took 10,120 water samples from 604 sites across the country in 2024, the foundation said. Nearly 750 samples were collected within the Bay Area.

One site, Pacifica State Beach, known locally as Linda Mar Beach, was found to have bacteria levels that exceed state health standards in 71% of its samples in 2024, according to Surfrider’s report. That number is up from 54% in 2023.

“In Pacifica, California, the San Mateo County Chapter has joined a coalition of environmental and surfing groups to raise public awareness and investigate the sources of pollution in San Pedro Creek, which flows to the Pacific Ocean at Linda Mar Beach,” the report stated.

Surfrider named 10 priority locations as beach bacteria hot spots:

• Linda Mar Beach, Pacifica, California – 71% samples collected failed to meet state health standard for recreational waters
• San Luis Creek Mouth, Avila Beach, California – 38%
• Imperial Beach, San Diego, California – 82%
• South Sound Thea Foss Floating Dock – 64%
• Kahalu’u, Kahalu’u, Oahu, Hawaii – 92%
• Waikomo Stream at Koloa Landing, Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii – 90%
• Windmill Beach, Sag Harbor, New York – 43%
• Ballard Park, Melbourne, Florida – 52%
• Park View Kayak Launch, Miami Beach, Florida – 90%
• Playa Crashboat, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico – 23%

“These popular recreational beaches pose real health risks to swimmers, surfers, and families,” the foundation wrote. “Each location regularly shows dangerous levels of fecal-indicator bacteria tied to human illnesses, including gastrointestinal issues, flu-like symptoms, and serious skin conditions like MRSA and staph infections.”

So far in 2025, 10 of 15 samples tested from Linda Mar Beach indicated high levels of bacteria, according to the Surfrider website.