Alamitos Bay is an inlet on the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

coast of southern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, between the cities of

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

and

Seal Beach Seal Beach is a coastal city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,242, up from 24,168 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Seal Beach is located in the w ...

, at the outlet of the San Gabriel River. It is near Los Angeles. The bay is named for the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

word for 'little poplars'.

Geography

Alamitos Bay is protected by both the natural sand spit

Peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

and the Long Beach Breakwater. It is divided from the San Gabriel River and

by a pair of

jetties A jetty is a structure that projects from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French word ', "thrown", signifying somet ...

. The natural geography has been heavily altered by dredging and landfill subsequent to development. The bay was severely impacted by the

1939 California tropical storm The 1939 California tropical storm, also known as the 1939 Long Beach tropical storm, and El Cordonazo, was a tropical cyclone that affected Southern California in September 1939. Formerly a hurricane, it was the only tropical storm to make landf ...

Venues

Alamitos Bay contains Marine Stadium, created for Olympic rowing events.

Water quality

After efforts to clear contaminated sediment and improve circulation,

Heal the Bay Heal the Bay is a U.S. environmental advocacy group of activists based in Santa Monica, California. The focus is protecting coastal waters and watersheds of southern California, and is focused on Santa Monica Bay. Heal the Bay is a 501(c)(3) n ...

has re-assessed the water's quality. In a 2020 report, the "Summer Dry Grade" at the 2nd Street Bridge was "B," and at Mother's Beach "A." "Winter Dry Grades" were "C" and "B," respectively. "Wet Weather Grades" were both "F." The water quality of the bay could be diminished in the future if the pumps of the nearby Alamitos Energy Center are decommissioned. The city is assessing a replacement for these pumps to maintain the bay's water circulation.

Islands

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, a collection of three islands, is entirely within Alamitos Bay.

References

Bays of California Geography of Long Beach, California Bodies of water of Los Angeles County, California {{LosAngelesCountyCA-geo-stub

Geography

Venues

Water quality

Islands

See also

References