Maps

Click an umbrella to find out how often your beach is checked for water pollution, and how many times the water failed to meet EPA health standards.

How does your favorite beach measure up? Let us know if you think your beach is a bum or a buddy!

Water Quality at 100 Popular U.S. Beaches

More about the Map

NRDC selected the beaches for the maps in this site from online and print lists of popular swimming and surfing beaches. Data is taken from Testing the Waters 2007, NRDC's annual survey of beach water quality. Where noted, monitoring results pertain to specific sections of particular beaches. The data is largely from the EPA and is for 2006. NRDC's selection of Beach Bums and Buddies highlights efforts authorities make to protect beachgoers from pollution, and is based on EPA data and our own independent investigations.

This year, NRDC collaborated with Gannett News Service to map closings and swimming advisories for more than 3,000 beaches nationwide. You'll find links to comprehensive Gannett maps for each state within each beach description.