Historic wildfires and heavy rainfall have resulted in significant ocean debris, prompting health and safety concerns for Malibu’s beaches. Jonathan Gonzalez reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.
It’s the unfortunate result of a historic wildfire followed by heavy rain: debris from the Palisades Fire floating in patches in the ocean right off the coast of Malibu.
Much of it is coming from the Big Rock area, which suffered mudslides during recent storms, carrying debris from burned properties along the shoreline directly into the water.
“The ocean has been a buffer for us for decades, you know, taking our stormwater and runoff from wildfires and just our discharge from other human activities. So we are again asking a lot of our ocean right now,” said Annelisa Moe, the associate director of science and policy with the Santa Monica-based nonprofit Heal the Bay.
Following the storms, Heal the Bay conducted water sampling in several locations to assess the safety of the water.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
“Visually, we can see that there's stuff in the water. But we also know that along with those visual cues, we know that there's a lot in the water that you can't see. Things like heavy metals, PAHs, nutrients, things that are going to have an impact on the ecosystem,” said Moe.
In response to the situation, the LA County Department of Beaches and Harbors conducted its own water sampling to determine how to remove large pieces of debris from the ocean.
However, the county has stated that it has no plans to remove ash and other sediments for fear of disrupting the larger ecosystem.
Debris has been found as far south as Redondo Beach, prompting LA County to issue an Ocean Advisory from Las Flores State Beach down to Santa Monica State Beach. The advisory urges people to stay out of the water, though it clarifies that the sand remains safe to enjoy.
Heal the Bay, however, advises staying away from these beaches entirely, at least for now.
“If you do go to the beach as far south as Dockweiler, you just stay out of the water, and if there are, you know, debris washing up on the shoreline, don't touch it with bare hands and make sure that pets and children are not interacting with that material,” said Moe.
We reached out to LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s office, which confirmed they are in contact with the California EPA to address the debris. They stated that further announcements would be made in the near future.
Meanwhile, the US EPA has stated they are not responsible for any ocean cleanup efforts.
