Ratings of Popular Beaches
NRDC issued star ratings to 200 popular beaches around the country. The star system awards up to five stars to each popular beach for exceptionally low violation rates and strong testing and safety practices. Criteria include testing more than once a week, notifying the public as soon as tests reveal bacterial levels violating health standards, and posting closings and advisories both online and at the beach. In 2012, thirteen beaches received a 5-star rating.
5-Star Beaches
- Alabama: Gulf Shores Public Beach
- Alabama: Gulf State Park Pavilion
- California: Bolsa Chica Beach
- California: Newport Beach, 38th Street, 52nd/53rd Street
- California: San Clemente State Beach, Avenida Calafia, Las Palmeras
- Delaware: Dewey Beach - Dagsworthy
- Delaware: Rehoboth Beach - Rehoboth Ave.
- Maryland: Ocean City at Beach 6
- Michigan: Bay City State Recreation Area
- Minnesota: Park Point Franklin Park / 13th Street South Beach
- Minnesota: Lafayette Community Club Beach
- New Hampshire: Hampton Beach State Park
- New Hampshire: Wallis Sands Beach at Wallis Road
NRDC Ratings for a Selection of U. S. Popular Beaches
| County | Beach Name | Stars | % of samples exceeding national standards | Monitoring frequency | Posts closings/ advisories online and at beach | Posts advisories without resampling | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | ||||||
Testing the Waters
NRDC's staff blog
- How EPA Could Ruin Your Summer Vacation
- posted by Steve Fleischli, 6/26/13
- More than 180 million people visit coastal and Great Lakes beaches every year, and swimming and surfing ...
- Can Your Beach Vacation Make You Sick?
- posted by Peter Lehner, 6/26/13
- When I started visiting our Santa Monica office, I was thrilled to get up early (I was on East Coast ...
- How Pollution and Climate Change Threaten Our Beaches
- posted by Ben Chou, 6/26/13
- Recently, my nine-month old niece, Hermione (her parents are big Harry Potter fans), visited the beach ...
