Three Carlsbad beaches earned a spot on Heal the Bay’s 2025-26 Beach Report Card Honor Roll, recognizing beaches with excellent water quality year-round. The annual report evaluates beach water quality along the West Coast using bacteria monitoring data and assigns easy-to-understand grades from A to F.
To qualify for the Honor Roll, a beach must receive an A+ grade during summer dry weather, winter dry weather and wet weather conditions, while also being monitored consistently throughout the year. Only 21 beaches in California earned this distinction in the latest report.
The three Carlsbad beaches recognized this year were:
- Carlsbad at Cerezo Drive
- Carlsbad at Palomar Airport Road
- Carlsbad at Poinsettia Lane
In addition to the three Honor Roll beaches, every Carlsbad beach that received a grade in the report earned an A or better for water quality. San Diego County led the state with 11 beaches on the Honor Roll, more than any other county in California.
Why beach water quality matters
Heal the Bay's annual Beach Report Card tracks bacteria levels in ocean water and assigns beaches letter grades based on water quality. While the report reflects conditions at the beach, water quality is influenced by what happens upstream throughout the watershed.
Anything that enters the storm drain system flows untreated to local creeks, lagoons and the ocean. As stormwater travels across streets and neighborhoods, it can pick up pollutants such as pet waste, trash, fertilizers and bacteria before eventually reaching the beach.
How Carlsbad helps protect ocean water quality
The City of Carlsbad works year-round to protect local waterways through stormwater pollution prevention programs, public education, inspections and enforcement of water quality regulations.
Residents and businesses can help keep beaches clean by:
- Check your sprinklers regularly and adjust them so water stays on your lawn and plants, not the street.
- Always pick up after your pets and place pet waste in the trash.
- Sweep driveways, patios and sidewalks instead of washing debris into the gutter with a hose.
- Use only the amount of fertilizer or weed-control products your yard needs and follow the directions on the package.
- Take batteries, paint, motor oil and other household hazardous waste to an approved collection site.
- Report water flowing into the street, illegal dumping or other pollution concerns to the city's Storm Water Hotline at 442-339-2799 or email stormwater@carlsbadca.gov.
Learn morew
Clean Ocean, Lagoons & Creeks webpage
Heal the Bay 2025-2026 Beach Report Card
