Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey

Overview

Marina del Rey is the boating center of West Los Angeles, home to million dollar yachts and ancient dinghies. Visitors can take whale watching or fishing trips from the Marina, or even charter a cruise or arrange a trip to Catalina. Unfortunately, boats, and the accompanying structures, can bring water quality problems. Playa del Rey, just to the south, is a beach community home to Loyola Marymount University and the Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant, which treats sewage from all of Los Angeles.

Water Quality

The main swimming beach in the marina, Mothers Beach, has long-term pollution problems due to the lack of wave action and circulation. Although it has few waves, and the water is generally warm, it’s not a good place to swim. Dockweiler Beach just down the coast in Playa del Rey is a much better choice, though Ballona Creek’s outfall does contribute to water quality problems there. If you’re swimming at Dockweiler, check the Beach Report Card for your specific location, and make sure to avoid any outfalls.

Heal the Bay Gets Local

Mothers Beach has always been a large part of Heal the Bay’s work in Marina del Rey. We work on solutions to improve tidal circulation and educate people about avoiding polluted beaches. Heal the Bay was founded because of Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant, and we were very involved with the updating of this facility. Now, Hyperion is a world-class sewage treatment plant.

A Dive Like No Other, Thanks to New MPAs

Thousands of tiny golden fish dart out of the way as I kick through the kelp forest — it’s amazing that they’re already learning to swim from predators at an early age. As I round the edge of a large rocky reef fringing Santa Cruz Island, I am …
Harbor Seal Marine Protected Area Channel Islands MPA preserve Malibu Palos Verd

The L.A. River Up Close and Personal

I don’t get a ton of opportunity to get out from behind my desk to romp in the creeks and watersheds that we protect. But this Friday afternoon was going to be the exception, as I was joining our Education Department for a kayaking tour of the Los …
Kayaking down the LA River with LA Conservation Corps

What Are Those Black Clumps on the Beach?

One of our Facebook fans recently posted the following question on the Heal the Bay Facebook page: “I was walking along Dockweiler Beach from Marina del Rey towards El Segundo, and I couldn't help but notice black sticky roundish clumps all along t…
tar ball natural oil seeps Santa Monica Bay Dockweiler Beach

Respect the Landlord of the Sea

No other animal on Earth has captured the imagination and stirred the range of emotions like the Great White Shark, aka The Landlord. Yes, the Landlord, the lord of the land, or in this case, the lord of the sea. The nickname we SoCal natives have be…
(c) Terry Goss 2006/Marine Photobank

Can World’s Largest Retailer Be Green?

We didn’t have a Wal-Mart near me growing up in the Midwest. My first real exposure to Wal-Mart came from watching the documentary Store Wars: When Wal-Mart Comes To Town. In case you haven’t seen the film, it pits the big, nasty retailer versus…
Walmart Green Reusable bags AB 298 plastic zero waste renewable energy

And the Emmy Goes to…

We are proud to announce that KTLA5 won a 2012 Emmy for its one-hour special about Heal the Bay's Coastal Cleanup Day program. The Emmy was the third that KTLA has won for its CCD-focused programming. We are grateful to KTLA for showcasing our work…
KTLA's Coastal Cleanup Day program wins an Emmy

Your Bag Photo: Worth a Thousand Words

They float down the street like tumbleweeds, get stuck in trees and wrap around fence posts, flapping like tattered flags in the wind. You know what we’re talking about: Discarded plastic bags. We want to tell their story, and we need your help. Be…
plastic bags ban california pollution garbage dump waste

Buy local art to support Heal the Bay

On Sunday, July 22, Le Cellier Restaurant and Wine Bar in Marina Del Rey hosted DudaArt's "Blue Aquarium," an artist reception to benefit Heal the Bay. Twenty percent of proceeds from instore sales went to Heal the Bay.
DudaArt Blue Aquarium art proceeds benefit Heal the Bay
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