The nonprofit's annual "beach bummer" list published Wednesday ranks the 10 most polluted beaches along the West Coast. The Santa Monica Pier came in as the third most polluted beach, while Mother's Beach in Marina del Rey ranked No. 9 on the list.
"The City of Santa Monica has wrestled for years with poor water quality at the Pier, which is plagued with droppings from roosting birds and urban runoff," according to Heal the Bay. "The enclosed Mother's Beach in Los Angeles County might attract families because of its placid waters, but very poor circulation has led to chronic bacterial exceedances. Families beware."
Santa Monica's ranking is an improvement from last year when it was listed as the most polluted beach. This year, the Tijuana River Mouth in San Diego County was named as the dirtiest beach.
Six of the top 10 beaches are near the San Diego-Mexico border. Heal the Bay says it's working with Mexico on improving infrastructure to reduce pollution that leaks into the seawater there.
It's not all bad news. An honor roll for the safest beaches was also released, with several places in Orange County earning a spot on the list.
All twelves beaches included in the honor roll are in Southern California - nine in Orange County, two in San Diego County and one in Ventura County.
Some of the local beaches included on the honor roll include Riviera Beach, Emerald Bay Beach and County Line Beach.
To do one's part in keeping beaches clean, advocates say people can help by not sending trash down the street drains or dumping trash at inland lakes since all of that eventually finds its way to the ocean.
Heal the Bay monitors more than 600 beaches along the West Coast. More details on the report are available here.
Below is a breakdown of Heal the Bay's most polluted beaches.
Most polluted:
1. Tijuana River Mouth (San Diego County)
2. Playa Blanca (Baja, Mexico)
3. Santa Monica Pier (Los Angeles County)
4. Tijuana Slough (San Diego County)
5. Linda Mar Beach (San Mateo County)
6. Lakeshore Park (San Mateo County)
7. Imperial Beach at Seacoast Drive (San Diego County)
8. Border Field State Park (San Diego County)
9. Marina del Rey Mother's Beach (Los Angeles County)
10. El Faro (Baja, Mexico)