Clear. Gusty winds diminishing after midnight. Low near 50F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..
Clear. Gusty winds diminishing after midnight. Low near 50F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
Updated: June 6, 2026 @ 5:19 pm
Six beaches in San Mateo County rank among the 10 most polluted in California in an annual water quality survey by an environmental advocacy group.
Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card, released Saturday, graded the San Mateo County beaches as the third through eighth poorest based on bacteria levels during summer dry weather.
The so-called beach bummers are:
3. Erckenbrack Park, Foster City
4. Linda Mar Beach at San Pedro Creek, Pacifica
5. Parkside Aquatic Park, San Mateo
6. Pillar Point Harbor, Capistrano Road Beach, Half Moon Bay
7. Pillar Point Harbor, Harbor Beach, Half Moon Bay
8. Marlin Park, Foster City
San Mateo County Health regularly samples and tests the water for safety. A spokesman, Faizus Amin, declined to comment on Heal the Bay’s report, deferring to officials in the individual cities.
Ranking worst and second-worst are Playa Blanca in Tijuana and Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles, both impacted by storm drains.
The ninth and 10th worst beaches are San Diego’s Tijuana Slough at Tijuana River Mouth and Humboldt County’s Clam Beach County Park at Strawberry Creek.
The 21 best beaches on the organization’s Honor Roll are in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Santa Barbara counties. No Bay Area beaches made the list.
“For more than 36 years, Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card has helped translate bacterial monitoring data into accessible public health information across the West Coast,” the Santa Monica-based organization said in a press release.
Heal the Bay recommends these precautions before entering recreational waters:
• Avoid swimming within 72 hours after rainfall
• Stay away from storm drains, river outlets, and enclosed stagnant waters
• Always check current water quality conditions before entering the water
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Join the San Mateo Daily Journal in Fiesta Hall at the Community Expo at the San Mateo County Fair! Read moreSan Mateo Community Expo at the Fair
Join New York Times bestselling author Caroline Paul for a lively discussion of her book Tou… Read moreBook Club with Author Caroline Paul
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
TerryNagel said:
It's sbout time. Great idea!
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(2) comments
I live near #3 Erckenbrack Park in Foster City. This is not surprising since the Foster City street storm drains empty into the Foster City lagoon, carrying all manner of toxins and bacteria.
San Mateo county is right below the filthiest city in the world, Tijuana.. time for the government to fix it. NOT NOT NOT… but it is time to get rid of the Democrat party.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.