If you think about it in a certain light – although you probably try not to – the ocean is gross. It has the unfortunate role of being at the end of most of our drains for all kinds of waste washed from the land.

Although American communities generally try to manage their waste in a sanitary way, our sewage systems are far from perfect, and as a result raw sewage can end up flowing straight into the seas rather than passing through water treatment plants. Which is why state governments test seawater around beaches — with varying degrees of regularity — to make sure it is safe for swimmers.

On Wednesday, the Natural Resources Defense Council released its 22nd annual report on beach health around the nation, “Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches.” The report is based on water quality information collected last year from more than 3,000 beaches in the United States.

The most useful part of the report for the public is the group’s one- to five-star rating system for 200 popular beaches, based on the amount of water testing done at the beach, the number of closings because of poor water quality, how quickly it is closed on low-water-quality days and the issuing of advisories. A map released with the report allows beachgoers to search for beaches in their ZIP code and check the council’s assessment.



Some of the worst beaches cited by the group as “repeat offenders” for their consistently poor water quality over the years are parts of Avalon Beach and Doheny State Beach in California and Woodlawn Beach and Ontario Beach in New York State.

Among the best beaches, given five-star ratings by the council, are parts of Newport Beach and Huntington State Beach in California and Hampton Beach and Wallis Sands State Beach in New Hampshire.

In the report, the Natural Resources Defense Council urges the Environmental Protection Agency to improve water quality standards at beaches so that people will be less likely to get sick from swimming. It also suggests the adoption of green infrastructure to trap more storm water on land and mitigate the overflow of untreated sewage into the seas.

How’s your favorite beach doing? You can check here.