SMC Beach Named One Of The Dirtiest Beaches In The Country

PACIFICA, CA — A beach in Pacifica has been flagged as one of the worst in the nation for water quality, with new data showing bacteria levels at Linda Mar Beach exceeded state health standards nearly three-quarters of the time last year.

The finding comes from the Surfrider Foundation's 2025 Clean Water Report, released Monday, which identifies ten "Beach Bacteria Hot Spots" across the country where volunteers have consistently measured dangerous contamination levels. Linda Mar is the only Northern California beach to make the list.

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Other California beaches included were San Luis Creek at Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo and Imperial Beach in San Diego.

The Surfrider Foundation's Blue Water Task Force — a network of volunteer-run water quality labs — collected more than 10,000 samples across 620 sites nationwide in 2025. A San Mateo County chapter case study in the report focuses specifically on Linda Mar, where local volunteers have been working to identify pollution sources and push for solutions.

The report paints a troubling picture for beachgoers more broadly: 65 percent of all beaches and sampling sites tested nationwide recorded at least one result that exceeded state health standards for bacteria last year.

U.S. 2025 Beach Bacteria Hot Spots

Percentage of water samples that failed to meet state health standards for recreational waters, according to the report:

• Punaluʻu Beach Park (Chings), Punaluʻu, O'ahu, Hawai'i — 100%
• Moloa'a Stream Mouth, Moloa'a Beach, Kaua'i, Hawai'i — 100%
• Park View Kayak Launch, Miami Beach, Florida — 92%
• Imperial Beach, San Diego, California — 89%
• Hakipuʻu Boat Ramp, Hakipuʻu, O'ahu, Hawai'i — 82%
• Ballard Park, Melbourne, Florida — 76%
• Linda Mar Beach, Pacifica, California — 72%
• Margaret Pace Park, Miami, Florida — 64%
• San Luis Creek at Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo, California — 47%
• Thea Foss Floating Dock, Tacoma, Washington — 29%