Four stretches of Santa Monica Bay shoreline are under bacteria warnings as a heat wave pushes more residents toward the water.

The LA County Department of Public Health issued ocean water use warnings on Tuesday, July 14, and updated them Wednesday, July 15, advising the public to avoid swimming, surfing, or playing in the ocean at a dozen locations across the county. Four of those sites sit along the Santa Monica Bay shoreline:

  • Santa Monica Pier — 100 yards up and down the coast
  • East Montana Storm Drain at Santa Monica Beach — 100 yards up and down the coast
  • Wilshire Blvd. storm drain at Santa Monica Beach — 100 yards up and down the coast
  • Temescal Canyon storm drain at Will Rogers State Beach — 100 yards up and down the coast

The East Montana and Wilshire Boulevard storm drain sites were added to the warning list for the first time on July 14, expanding what had been a Pier-only advisory in place since at least Thursday, July 9.

The department said recent water samples showed bacterial levels that exceed state health standards and can cause illness in swimmers who enter the water near those locations.

Pier's persistent problem

The Santa Monica Pier warning has appeared in every county advisory since July 9. The Pier ranked second on Heal the Bay's 2025–26 "Beach Bummer" list, marking its fifth consecutive year among California's most polluted beaches, according to the environmental nonprofit's annual report card released in May.

The city has pursued several mitigation efforts, including the 2018 Clean Beaches Project to capture and divert urban runoff, the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project, bird netting installed beneath the pier in August 2023, and a ban on feeding birds and animals at beaches and on the Pier.

Two sites cleared, two added

The July 14 advisory also brought good news for two other county beaches: warnings were lifted at the Bel Air Bay Club storm drain at Will Rogers State Beach and Solstice Creek at Dan Blocker County Beach after follow-up testing showed bacteria levels had returned to within state standards.

But the reprieve was short-lived elsewhere. On Wednesday, July 15, the county added two more locations — the Pulga storm drain at Will Rogers State Beach and Walnut Creek at Paradise Cove — bringing the total active warnings to 12 countywide.

Heat wave context

The warnings land during a heat wave that the National Weather Service said would peak Wednesday, July 15, with inland valleys forecast to reach 105 to 110 degrees. Coastal areas including Santa Monica fell under a heat advisory rather than the extreme heat warning covering inland zones. Temperatures were expected to cool 5 to 7 degrees by Thursday, July 16, and return to near-normal by Saturday, July 18, according to NWS meteorologist Mike Wofford.

With overnight lows staying in the 70s, beaches are a natural escape for residents looking to cool off.

How to stay informed

The county tests ocean water weekly at sites across LA County year-round and posts results on its website. Warning signs are posted at affected beaches.

Residents can check conditions 24 hours a day on the county's beach water quality hotline at 1-800-525-5662 or online at publichealth.lacounty.gov/beach.