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Home/Water Quality/San Diego County
Water quality testing site · San Diego County

Baja California, MEXICO

Tested by San Diego County, usually every 7 days.

F
Latest test · Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026
Water quality F: Far over the safe limit

Taken 31 days ago. Results can take 1 to 3 weeks to be published, and many sites are tested less often in winter.

Enterococcus
2,200
per 100 mL
Safe limit
104
This test was 21 times the limit.
Usual here
340
The middle of 53 tests over the past year. This test is well above normal for this beach.

Every bacteria in this test: Fecal coliform over 12,000 · Total coliform over 16,000 · Enterococcus 2,200. The grade follows the worst one against its own limit.

F
Last 30 days

Grade F over 5 tests from Sep 15, 2026 to Oct 13, 2026. 5 were over the limit.

Can I go in?

No recent test

The last test here was 31 days ago, too long ago to say anything about the water today. Some sites are tested only in summer. Stay out for 72 hours after any rain of 0.2 in or more, and check the county's status before going in.

Why it is high

Cause not known

The testing agency does not name a cause, and there is no official rain gauge within 20 miles to check for rain.

History

Enterococcus over time

1.5101001k10kUsual here: 340Safe limit: 104NovJan 2026MarMayJulSepNov
Rain of 0.2 in or more at the nearest airportsHover or tap a dot for its date and reading

No National Weather Service rain gauge is within 20 miles of this site.

Recent tests
  • F
    Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026
    Fecal coliform over 12,000 · Total coliform over 16,000 · Enterococcus 2,200
  • F
    Tuesday, Oct 6, 2026
    Fecal coliform 1,100 · Total coliform 14,000 · Enterococcus 2,200
  • D
    Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026
    Fecal coliform 60 · Total coliform 440 · Enterococcus 120
  • D
    Tuesday, Sep 22, 2026
    Fecal coliform 2,600 · Total coliform 5,800 · Enterococcus 1,000
  • F
    Tuesday, Sep 15, 2026
    Fecal coliform 5,400 · Total coliform 12,000 · Enterococcus 2,000
  • D
    Tuesday, Sep 8, 2026
    Fecal coliform 40 · Total coliform 440 · Enterococcus 220
  • A
    Tuesday, Sep 1, 2026
    Fecal coliform 10 · Total coliform under 20 · Enterococcus 2
  • D
    Tuesday, Aug 25, 2026
    Fecal coliform 460 · Total coliform 800 · Enterococcus 280
  • C
    Tuesday, Aug 18, 2026
    Fecal coliform 60 · Total coliform 620 · Enterococcus 96
  • B
    Tuesday, Aug 11, 2026
    Fecal coliform 20 · Total coliform 60 · Enterococcus 30
What the numbers mean

Enterococcus and coliform bacteria live in the guts of people and animals. Health departments test for them because they travel with sewage, runoff and animal waste, so a high count is a warning that germs that do make people sick are likely in the water too. Clear water can still be contaminated: bacteria and viruses are too small to see.

San Diego County's DNA test (ddPCR) counts bacterial DNA instead of growing the bacteria in a lab, so it returns results the same day. Its numbers run higher than the older lab tests, which is why its safe limit is 1,413 rather than 104. The two are never compared on this page.

San Diego County's health department says swimming in water under an advisory can cause stomach illness, such as diarrhea and vomiting, and skin and ear infections. The EPA's national swimming guidelines are set at a level where about 32 to 36 of every 1,000 swimmers would get a stomach illness. A study of San Diego surfers found about 12 extra stomach-illness cases per 1,000 in wet weather, highest during rain and the day after, and back near normal 3 days later.

The grade is Nautical Nick's, built on the official limits: A is a quarter of the limit or less, B half or less, C under the limit, D over it, and F more than 10 times over. When a county posts an advisory or closes a beach, its sign is the final word.

Sources: California State Water Board beach test results; San Diego County Department of Environmental Health sample reports; Surfrider Foundation Blue Water Task Force; National Weather Service daily rain totals via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Limits: California Code of Regulations, Title 17, Section 7958.