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New water quality findings and local health advisories warn visitors to stay out of the water because of contamination concerns.
A relaxing day at the beach can offer an easy way to cool down amid warm summer temperatures. But some beaches may be a hot spot for bacteria.
Sitting just south of San Diego, California’s Imperial Beach ranked as one of the worst beaches in the United States for bacteria, according to a report from the Surfrider Foundation. There, the bacteria rate came in at 89 percent, the worst in the state of California, which was calculated by the number of days the beach was closed due to high bacteria levels.
Environmental group San Diego Coastkeeper, which regularly monitors beaches throughout the year for bacteria levels, marked Imperial Beach as closed, citing an “imminent health threat associated with a sewage or chemical spill.” The closure stretches along the ocean shoreline from the south end of Seacoast Drive to north of Carnation Avenue.
The County of San Diego Beach & Bay Water Quality Monitoring Program has also flagged Imperial Beach and several surrounding areas as closed due to compromised water quality.
Imperial Beach has had a longstanding issue with bacteria, named one of the most contaminated beaches by the Surfrider Foundation last year as well. Then, the beach had a slightly lower bacteria rate of 82 percent.
In 2025, the Surfrider Foundation noted a new lab was established in Imperial Beach thanks to a collaboration between the San Diego Chapter’s BWTF Clean Border Water Now programs and the local YMCA’s Camp Surf.
Even without jumping in the water, there is still plenty of fun in the sun available to area visitors. Imperial Beach is home to a pier with a lookout point, for example, where travelers can feel the sea breeze and see the San Diego coastline. The area also features traditional beach activities, such as an ice cream shop and gift shop.
Beyond Imperial Beach, the state of Hawaii has some of the most contaminated beaches in America with both Oahu’s Punaluʻu Beach Park and Kauai’s Moloa’a Stream Mouth both coming in with a bacteria rate of 100 percent. They ranked No. 1 and No. 2 on the list.
In California, Linda Mar Beach in the city of Pacifica came in as the second-most contaminated beach in the state with a bacteria rate of 72 percent. That was followed by the San Luis Creek at Avila Beach in in San Luis Obispo County, which had a bacteria rate of 47 percent.
Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
