Skip to main content

Water Quality Post Fires

A note from us about water quality concerns since the fires

Updated over 2 months ago

Written: April 4, 2025

We’ve been closely monitoring updates from the Department of Public Health, Heal the Bay, and LA County Lifeguards regarding ocean water quality following the recent LA fires. In addition to reviewing their public statements, we’ve also spoken directly with representatives to better understand the potential impact on our beach programs.

We know many families have questions, so we wanted to share the most relevant takeaways, along with our interpretation of how they apply to our location and activities:

  • Limited Advisory Area: According to the LA Department of Public Health, "The ocean water advisory is in effect only in the area from Las Flores State Beach (Duke’s Malibu) to Santa Monica." This does not include the South Bay beaches where our programs are held. (source: LADPH)



  • Surprisingly Good Water Quality Post-Fire: Heal the Bay reports that "test results from 10 collection sites along the entire length of Santa Monica Bay show that immediately after the fires, water quality at LA’s beaches was much better than expected, diminishing fears about human health impacts from polluted runoff in fire-scarred areas." (source: Heal the Bay)

  • South Bay Water Quality Appears Safe: While Heal the Bay notes that “we have limited data from beaches in the South Bay, which makes it difficult to fully understand the impacts of the fire in that area,” they also state that “it is unlikely that it is of poorer quality than beaches closer to the burned area.” (source: Heal the Bay)

  • Marine Life & Domoic Acid: There have been reports of sick marine life due to domoic acid poisoning, which is caused by algae blooms, not directly by fire runoff. Heal the Bay explains: “The recent fires did create a significant dump of nutrients like sulfate and phosphorous into the ocean, but there is no evidence, yet, of a correlation between the wildfires and the domoic acid outbreak” and this is the "fourth consecutive year of domoic acid outbreaks". (source: Heal the Bay)

We will remain in close contact with public health officials and environmental experts and will always prioritize your child’s safety in and around the ocean. With that said, if your family has any concerns about water quality, we’re more than happy to keep your child out of the water and ensure they’re fully engaged with a variety of fun, sand-based games, lessons and activities.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. We will update you immediately if any new developments arise.

Sincerely,

The BeachSports Team

Did this answer your question?