The Bay Area's beaches got a mostly clean bill of health in a report released Thursday by an environmental group that monitors water quality at beaches along the West Coast, although bayside beaches scored less well. <\/p>\n
The nonprofit group Heal the Bay analyzed weekly bacterial pollution from hundreds of beaches statewide, including 69 beaches in San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa and Marin counties. <\/p>\n
Of those, 54 Bay Area beaches received \"A\" grades on the A-to-F scale based on levels of weekly bacterial pollution tracked from April to October of last year. <\/p>\n
Bay Area beaches along the Pacific Ocean fared better in the ratings than ones along the Bay, with 98 percent of oceanside spots receiving \"A\" or \"B\" grades compared to 88 percent of bayside beaches, said Amanda Griesbach, a beach water quality scientist with Heal the Bay. <\/p>\n
The group also released a \"Beach Bummer List\" of the top 10 most polluted beaches in California, and no Bay Area beaches were on this year's list. <\/p>\n
Of the 10 beaches on that list, seven were in Los Angeles County and two were in Orange County. <\/p>\n
Santa Cruz County's Cowell Beach, ranked second-most polluted, was closest on the list to the Bay Area. <\/p>\n
Poor grades, such as Cowell Beach's \"F,\" indicate that beachgoers face an increased risk of contracting illnesses -- including the stomach flu, ear infections and skin rashes -- compared to those visiting cleaner beaches. <\/p>\n
Baker Beach at Lobos Creek, where a news conference was held Thursday to announce the report's release, was No. 8 on last year's \"Beach Bummer\" list but has improved to a \"B\" grade this year, Griesbach said. <\/p>\n
The worst marks received by Bay Area beaches were at San Mateo County bayside beaches that experience limited circulation, including Pillar Point Harbor, Oyster Point, Aquatic Park and Lakeshore Park, which received D's and F's for their summer conditions. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Local beaches get mostly good grades in 'Heal the Bay' report<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Bay Area's beaches got a mostly clean bill of health in a report released Thursday by an environmental group that monitors water quality at beaches along the West Coast, although bayside beaches scored less well. Continue reading