How Clean is the Water at Your Beach?

The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) publishes water safety ratings for a number of popular U.S. beaches.  Their system  awards up to five stars for exceptionally low violation rates and strong testing and safety practices.  A dozen beaches got this top rating last year:

     Alabama: Gulf Shores Public Beach
     Alabama: Gulf State Park Pavilion
     California: Bolsa Chica Beach
     California: Huntington State Beach, Brookhurst Street
     California: Newport Beach, 38th Street, 52nd/53rd Street
     Delaware: Dewey Beach
     Maryland: Ocean City at Beach 6
     Minnesota: Park Point Franklin Park / 13th Street South Beach
     Minnesota: Park Point Lafayette Community Club Beach
     New Hampshire: Hampton Beach State Park
     New Hampshire: Wallis Sands Beach at Wallis Road
     Texas: South Padre Island (Town of South Padre Island)

Conversely, some of the worst recent offenders (lowest rated) include portions of:

     California: Avalon and Doheny State Beach
     Illinois: Winnetka Elder Park Beach, North Point Marina and North Beach
     Louisiana: Constance, Gulf Breeze, Little Florida, Long and Rutherford
     New Jersey: Beachwood Beach West
     New York: Woodlawn and Ontario
     Ohio: Euclid State Park and Villa Angela State Park
     Wisconsin: South Shore Beach