SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Surf's up — and full of fecal bacteria — at Southern California beaches.
The National Resources Defense Council has tested for the bacteria found in human and animal waste at 75 percent of the state's public beaches from April through October 2007.
The non-profit organization found unhealthful bacteria levels 7 percent of the time. That's better than last year, when 12 percent of tests turned up bacteria like coliform or enterococcus.
The state's worst offender is Avalon on Santa Catalina Island, and on the mainland, Santa Monica beach is filthiest.
Orange County's Doheny State Beach was also fouled by bacteria.
Clean beaches were found in Laguna Beach, Bolsa Chica State Beach and Huntington Beach.
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