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MULTIMEDIA FEATURES \n
Click the headings below to learn mor' + 'e about the quality of water at public beaches across Am' + 'erica.
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Special report at a glance
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The water at U.S. beaches i' + 'sn\'t getting cleaner, according to a leading environment' + 'al group.
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Nationally, 7 percent of w' + 'ater samples taken at beaches last year contained bacter' + 'ia associated with human or animal waste at levels above' + ' the national safe swimming standard, the Natural Resour' + 'ces Defense Council says in its 2008 "Testing the Waters' + '" report. That percentage is essentially unchanged from ' + '2006.
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The NRDC also reported:
\n• Beaches closed or posted swimming a' + 'dvisories for 22,571 days in 2007, the second highest nu' + 'mber of closure and advisory days since the NRDC began c' + 'ollecting data 18 years ago. That\'s a 12 percent decline' + ' from the 25,643 closing and advisory days reported in 2' + '006, a record year fueled by a dramatic increase in rain' + ' in some parts of the country, especially Hawaii.
\n• n the Great Lakes, 15 percent of be' + 'ach water samples violated public health standards. That' + '\'s more than twice the national percentage, and it\'s the' + ' highest level of contamination of any coastal region in' + ' the continental U.S.
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• Beaches' + ' on the Gulf Coast and in New York and New Jersey saw th' + 'e number of closure and advisory days increase at least ' + '33 percent from 2006 to last year.
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&' + 'bull; Elsewhere, closure and advisory days declined. The' + 'y decreased 63 percent at beaches in the Southeast (prob' + 'ably because of continuing drought conditions), 46 perce' + 'nt in New England, 16 percent on the Delmarva Peninsula ' + 'and 21 percent in states in the West.
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• Illinois led the country in the percentage of b' + 'each water samples that violated public health standards' + ' at 23 percent. It was followed by Ohio (18 percent), Wi' + 'sconsin (16 percent), Indiana (15 percent) and Louisiana' + ' (15 percent).
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— Larry Wheele' + 'r
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Searchable datab' + 'ase
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Find out the trac' + 'k records of the beaches you visit regularly or whil' + 'e vacationing. Check out beach-water quality reports for' + ' popular beaches on a Google map or enter your state bel' + 'ow to start searching.
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Video
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<' + 'strong>Concerned be' + 'achgoers: Listen as they explain why beach-' + 'water quality affects their decisions about where to vac' + 'ation.
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Web reso' + 'urces
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You' + ' can learn more about beach water quality issues in the ' + 'NRDC\'s annual report, Testing the Wate' + 'rs 2008. You also can download the complete report a' + 's a PDF document.
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About this report
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The following Gannett News Se' + 'rvice staff members contributed to the "Swim at your own' + ' risk" beach-water quality project in conjunction with t' + 'he Natural Resources Defense Council:
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Larry Wheeler, reporter; Robert Benincasa, database e' + 'ditor; Val Ellicott, database team editor; Leonard Fisch' + 'er, innovation and content development editor; Maria Fow' + 'ler, video/multimedia journalist; Heather Wines, photojo' + 'urnalist; Linda Dono, Web production; Anthony Faust, Web' + ' developer.\n
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