"It's the birds"

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Preliminary testing points to birds as a major source of elevated fecal bacteria in the water surrounding the Santa Monica Pier. 

A local environmental nonprofit, Heal the Bay, conducted the examination, and the finding comes less than a year after launching its Santa Monica Pier Water Quality Task Force in January to investigate the source of the pier’s longstanding contamination problem.

Heal the Bay was founded in 1985 amid concerns over sewage pollution in the Santa Monica Bay, including discharges from the Hyperion treatment plant in Dockweiler. The organization later joined legal efforts that pushed for improvements in wastewater treatment. Now, 90% of the 700 beaches Heal the Bay tracks are safe to swim in. 

In recent years, the Santa Monica Pier has ranked the worst beach in water quality and has been in the top 10 worst beaches in the last 20 years. “Santa Monica Pier is consistently the worst out of all 700 [beaches],” said Annelisa Moe, the associate director of science and policy who oversees Heal the Bay’s water quality efforts. “It’s been a long time issue… bacteria levels are continuing to increase.” 

In an effort to better understand the water contamination at the pier, Heal the Bay organized the Santa Monica Pier Water Quality Task Force and recruited a diverse group of scientists and professionals from UCLA, USC, the city of Santa Monica, and other nonprofit organizations. 

Some initial methods included testing the pier water at different times a day to see if water quality was worse in the morning as opposed to at night. Researchers also sampled water up to 100 meters from the pier to determine how concentrated the contamination was around the structure. Finally, they conducted a DNA test on the fecal bacteria samples and scientists were able to trace the DNA back to birds. 

With birds emerging as a likely source of the elevated fecal bacteria, the Task Force can move toward potential solutions. Moe suggested getting the city of Santa Monica to install bird-deterrent wiring around the pier, covering trash cans and enforcing Santa Monica’s prohibition on feeding birds. 

“A lot of little changes...can really make a difference,” she said.

While scientists work to address the pier’s bacteria problem, Heal the Bay is also turning to the public as part of its broader effort to protect Los Angeles’ coastline. 

On Saturday, Sept. 19, Heal the Bay hosted its 37th annual Coastal Cleanup Day, when nearly 6,000 volunteers spread across more than 60 sites in Los Angeles County collected more than 24,000 pounds of trash. More than 1,000 volunteers gathered at the Santa Monica Pier site. 

“The beach represents something really special,” said Tim Cullen, Heal the Bay’s chief philanthropy officer. “It really is, in so many ways, our biggest public gathering space in the city.”

Among the volunteers were North Hills mothers Any and Armita, who attended with their children. Although the cleanup began as a school requirement, Armita said she wanted her children to see environmental responsibility firsthand. 

“We want to enjoy and just preserve nature… so that our kids can see we’re doing it,” she said. “ We want them to do it as well.” When asked what they found on the beach, Amy answered, “It’s really just human waste… we consume all these things and we don’t dispose of it properly.” 

Art Salter, who has directed the Santa Monica Pier cleanup site for 18 years, said seeing litter left just feet from trash cans initially inspired him to volunteer. 

As researchers search for ways to improve water quality beneath one of Los Angeles’ most recognizable landmarks, Salter said protecting the coastline does not have to begin with a scientific study: “No matter whether you're walking in a park or walking at the beach, do something that helps keep the community clean.”