San Mateo County Beaches Ranked in Latest 'Heal the Bay' Report Card

Bay Area beaches received mostly high marks for water quality in a report card released Thursday by the environmental group Heal the Bay.

Of the graded ocean-side beaches from Marin County to San Mateo County, 38 of 40 received an A grade for the high-traffic summer period of April to October. That's 95 percent, 2 percent higher than a five-year average for the beaches during the summer period.

While the overall report was favorable, three local beaches are on the state's list of the 10 most polluted beaches based on levels of harmful bacteria. The harmful bacteria can cause illnesses such as stomach flu, ear infections, upper respiratory infections, and skin rashes among people who go in the water, according to Heal the Bay.

Cowell Beach at the wharf in Santa Cruz County is the No. 1 most polluted beach in the state, Heal the Bay's report said.

Part of the problem at Cowell Beach is birds roosting. Work has started to install steel fencing to prevent the roosting.

The other two beaches to make the list of the top 10 most polluted beaches are Pillar Point Harbor in San Mateo County and Sunnydale Cove near Candlestick Point in San Francisco.

Both beaches have poor water circulation, Heal the Bay spokesman James Alamillo said.

Here's the San Mateo County Breakdown:

Aquatic Park

San Mateo CountyB dry, A+ wet2

Bean Hollow State Beach

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet3

Coyote Point

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet4

Dunes Beach

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet5

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at San Vicente Creek

San Mateo CountyA dry, ns wet6

Francis Beach at the foot of the steps

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet7

Gazos Beach at Gazos Creek

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet8

Kiteboard Beach

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, ns wet9

Lakeshore Park - behind Rec Center

San Mateo CountyB dry, D wet10

Linda Mar Beach at San Pedro Creek

San Mateo CountyB dry, ns wet11

Montara State Beach, at Martini Creek

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet12

Oyster Point

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet13

Pescadero State Beach at Pescadero Creek

San Mateo CountyA dry, A+ wet14

Pillar Point #8 Mavericks Beach

San Mateo CountyA dry, A+ wet15

Pillar Point Harbor, end of Westpoint Ave.

San Mateo CountyA dry, A wet16

Pomponio State Beach at Pomponio Creek

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet17

Rockaway Beach at Calera Creek

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet18

Roosevelt Beach, south end of parking lot

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet19

San Gregorio State Beach at San Gregorio Creek

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet20

Sharp Park Beach, projection of Birch Ln.

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet21

Sharp Park Beach, projection of San Jose Av.

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet22

Surfer's Beach, southend of riprap

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet23

Venice Beach at Frenchmans Creek

San Mateo CountyA+ dry, A+ wet

Heal the Bay officials said El Nino contributed to poor water quality grades at some beaches this past winter because high amounts of rainfall can cause older sewer systems to inadvertently release under-treated sewage into the Bay or ocean.

Beach water quality is graded each week and the grades can be found at beachreportcard.org.

San Francisco Bay Beaches

Beaches facing San Francisco Bay had lower grades overall than ocean-side beaches.

Twenty-four of 28 Bayside beaches, or 85 percent, received A or B grades, according to the report card.

In Sonoma County, all seven monitored beaches received grades of A+.

During last summer's reporting season, California's drought was a major contributor to better grades because less rainfall meant less runoff into bodies of water.

Heal the Bay officials warn that swimmers should wait at least three days after a rain before swimming.

They also warn beachgoers to avoid going in the water at beaches that are cut off from the ocean or Bay.

Also, swimmers should swim at least 100 yards from working storm drains and piers.

-- Bay City News Service contributed to this report.;Image via Shutterstock.