Seven San Luis Obispo County, four Santa Barbara County beaches make Heal the Bay honor roll

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. – Seven San Luis Obispo County beaches and four Santa Barbara County beaches made Heal the Bay's 2022 annual report card for having safe and clean water throughout every season.

Every year, Heal the Bay gives over 500 state beaches and oceans "A through F" letter grades based on levels of fecal-indicator bacterial pollution in the ocean measured by county health agencies,

This year, 51 of the monitored beaches made it to the "Honor Roll," meaning that it has been monitored weekly all year and has received an A+ for all seasons and weather conditions, according to Heal the Ocean.

San Luis Obispo County beaches had a strong presence on the list, with seven making the cut. The seven beaches include Cayucos State Beach (downcoast of the pier), Pismo Beach at Ocean View, Pismo Beach at Wadsworth Street, San Simeon State Beach at Pico Avenue, Morro Strand State Beach. at Beachcomber Drive, Pismo State Beach south of Pier Avenue, and Pismo State Beach just north of Pier Avenue.

Four Santa Barbara County beaches also made an appearance: the Guadalupe Dunes, East Beach at Sycamore Creek, El Capitan State Beach, and Sands at Coal Oil Point.

It is Guadalupe Dunes' fourth consecutive year on the Honor Roll.

While Ventura County beaches typically land a spot on the honor role, none made the cut this year because the beaches were not monitored sufficiently enough to receive Winter Dry grades, according to Heal the Ocean.

"We urge Ventura County to return to their historical winter monitoring schedule," the organization said.