Now that summer’s here and we’ll be spending more time at the beach, here is a list of the 12 cleanest beaches in the nation. For the 22nd year in a row, the Natural Resources Defense Council has issued a report on the nation’s cleanest and filthiest beaches. They also discovered that the number of days beaches were closed or under health advisories last year hit 23,481. That number is the third-highest in the report’s history, just one day better than last year.

So, forget sharks! It is bacteria lurking in the water that is the most threatening issue at the beach. The beach ratings factor in various potential health hazards, including pollution levels and the quality of beach monitoring. Harmful water bacteria often come from animal or human waste. The germs can cause diarrhea, skin rashes, stomach flu and respiratory problems. The risks are higher for young children, according to the report, who generally spend more time swimming and dunk their heads underwater more often.

Here is the list of the country’s cleanest beaches:

The Nation’s 12 5-Star Beaches

Source: NRDC

Check out the study here http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/default.asp to see the list of the filthiest, which include Avalon and Doheny beaches in California and several beaches in Louisiana — again. These “repeat offenders” included those with more than 25 percent of bacterial samples that were higher than allowed by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards for each year from 2007 to 2011.

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