NRDC Beach Report Names Cleanest & Dirtiest Waves

It may look nice, but ... What are you swimming in?

While chances are your beach is OK, you might want to check on The National Resource Defense Council's (NRDC) new beach report.

NRDC's annual survey of water quality and public notification at U.S. beaches finds that pollution caused the number of beach closings and advisories to hit their fourth-highest level in the 19-year history of the report. The number of 2008 closing and advisory days at ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches topped 20,000 for the fourth consecutive year, confirming that our nation's beaches continue to suffer from serious water pollution that puts swimmers at risk.

Aging and poorly designed sewage and stormwater systems hold much of the blame for beachwater pollution. Even in the relatively dry 2008 beach season, stormwater runoff contributed to two-thirds of the closing/advisory days in which a contamination source was reported. Unknown sources of pollution caused nearly 13,000 closing and advisory days.

NRDC's cleanest five star beaches of 2009 include:

• Gulf Shores Public Beach, AL
• Laguna Beach, Main Beach, CA
• Bolsa Chica State Beach, Huntington Beach, CA,
• Newport Beach, CA
• Ocean City, MD
• Park Point, Community Club Beach, Duluth, MN
• Hampton Beach State Park in Hampton, NH

Beware the NRDC's lowest ranking one star beaches:

• Zach’s Bay at Jones Beach State Park, Wantagh, NY
• Ocean Beach Park, New London, CT
• Venice Public Beach, FL
• Central Beach, Point Pleasant, NJ

See maps of America's 10 Most Polluted Beaches.

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