As California’s coastal waters improve in quality a few mysteries remain.

Overall, the quality of the land and water at California’s beaches has improved this year, but studies have shown decreases in quality on some beaches which may lead to public health concerns.

An annual study by Heal the Bay, a non-profit group based in Santa Monica, named the most polluted beaches in California.  It also gave letter grades based on water quality to all of the beaches in the state.  

The organization uses data from local government sources to determine how much bacteria is present in the water near the beach and they screen for Enterococcus and fecal borne coliformes like E. Coli among others.   The concern is that exposure to these contaminants may cause stomach flu, ear infection, upper respiratory infections and major skin rashes according to the report

Many are left baffled by what could have caused the unusual increases in contaminants on beaches like Refugio State Beach and Hope Ranch beach in Santa Barbara County, which have received A ratings from Heal the Bay in the past.   The city government and Heal the Bay have yet to determine the cause of the increases.  

Long Beach in Los Angeles County poses a serious threat as it was rated the number one most polluted on the study’s top 10 “Beach Bummer” list.   It did not make the list last year.   No reason for the increases in these harmful bacteria has been found.

"Of course we're getting all these questions about why, and we don't know," said Executive Director of Heal the Bay Mark Gold. 'It's a mystery that needs to be solved as soon as possible to protect public health."