The Los Angeles Post

Heading to the Coast This Holiday Weekend? Remember These Beach Basics

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MARINA DEL REY, California—This Fourth of July holiday weekend, the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors (DBH) expects to welcome more than a million people to L.A.’s iconic beaches. But before packing their bags and heading to the sand, visitors should keep these tips in mind:

Pack In, Pack Out

Visitors are strongly encouraged to bring everything they brought to the beach back home with them—including their garbage. That’s why DBH recommends visitors pack a trash bag in their beach bag.

“Over the July 4 holiday weekend last year, visitors left more than 70 tons of trash on our beaches—that’s enough to fill 5,600 wheelbarrows,” said DBH Director Gary Jones. “I encourage beachgoers to pack in, pack out—take their trash home with them—to help keep our beaches clean and the ocean blue.”

While there are hundreds of trash barrels along the coast, the extra holiday visitors mean those barrels will fill up and overflow quicker than ever. This trash can end up in the ocean, where it poses a danger to marine life. Overflowing trash bins also attract seagulls, whose droppings can contain harmful bacteria and contaminate the water.

Check Water Quality

Speaking of bacteria in the water, residents and visitors should stay up to date with ocean water quality advisories, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. An advisory is issued when bacterial levels exceed health standards when tested. Swimming in water with bacteria can make people sick or cause skin infections.

Ocean water quality advisories are posted online at publichealth.lacounty.gov/beach.

Avoid Wildfire Debris

Since the Palisades fire began Jan. 7, beach maintenance crews have removed nearly 480 tons of wildfire debris from beaches in the burn area. Most of this debris washed into the ocean from burned structures on the beach or through discharging creeks and waterways; waves later deposited the debris onto the sand.

Even though less charred debris is washing up on local beaches, visitors should continue to avoid wildfire debris in the water and on the sand, as well as stay away from beaches on or near burned properties. The debris may contain harmful substances and physical hazards such as glass, metal and wood with sharp edges.

Beachgoers should also avoid larger areas of dark sediment that remains on the sand after the fires; the dark color can hide rusty nails and other objects that could cause injury.

Sampling of the dark sediment took place at 11 beaches in February and April. Testing for metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)—chemicals found in water runoff after previous California wildfires—revealed no contaminants in the sediment at levels that are dangerous to human health.

Attempts to manually remove the sediment would harm the environment; instead, DBH is allowing the ecosystem to recover naturally.

Keep Bonfires in Official Pits

Unfortunately, it’s not just debris from wildfires that poses a hazard to beachgoers. Debris from illegal bonfires—those built on the sand or in places other than the official fire pits at Dockweiler State Beach—remains an issue.

Not only is debris from illegal fires dangerous for marine life; it is also difficult to clean up. Smoldering bonfires buried in the sand are hidden hazards that may cause serious burns and other injuries to unsuspecting beachgoers.

Remember, outside the official fire pits at Dockweiler, personal fire pits and grills are not allowed on any DBH-managed beach or in any beach parking lot.

Stay Informed

Beachgoers should check with the nearest open lifeguard tower for the latest information on beach conditions. Other places to stay up to date include:

Unsafe beach conditions should be reported to the nearest lifeguard.