The Bay Area's beaches got a mostly clean bill of health in a report released Thursday by an environmental group that monitors water quality at beaches along the West Coast, although bayside beaches scored less well.

The nonprofit group Heal the Bay analyzed weekly bacterial pollution from hundreds of beaches statewide, including 69 beaches in San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa and Marin counties.

Of those, 54 Bay Area beaches received "A" grades on the A-to-F scale based on levels of weekly bacterial pollution tracked from April to October of last year.

Bay Area beaches along the Pacific Ocean fared better in the ratings than ones along the Bay, with 98 percent of oceanside spots receiving "A" or "B" grades compared to 88 percent of bayside beaches, said Amanda Griesbach, a beach water quality scientist with Heal the Bay.

The group also released a "Beach Bummer List" of the top 10 most polluted beaches in California, and no Bay Area beaches were on this year's list.

Of the 10 beaches on that list, seven were in Los Angeles County and two were in Orange County.

Santa Cruz County's Cowell Beach, ranked second-most polluted, was closest on the list to the Bay Area.

Poor grades, such as Cowell Beach's "F," indicate that beachgoers face an increased risk of contracting illnesses -- including the stomach flu, ear infections and skin rashes -- compared to those visiting cleaner beaches.

Baker Beach at Lobos Creek, where a news conference was held Thursday to announce the report's release, was No. 8 on last year's "Beach Bummer" list but has improved to a "B" grade this year, Griesbach said.

The worst marks received by Bay Area beaches were at San Mateo County bayside beaches that experience limited circulation, including Pillar Point Harbor, Oyster Point, Aquatic Park and Lakeshore Park, which received D's and F's for their summer conditions.

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Local beaches get mostly good grades in 'Heal the Bay' report

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Most beaches from Marina del Rey to San Pedro aced water quality tests last year during the dry summer season, although several sites along the South Bay coastline earned failing scores during rain events, a new report has found.

The 2011-12 Beach Report Card - released annually by the group Heal the Bay before Memorial Day weekend - is based on water sampling for fecal bacteria pollution conducted by health agencies and dischargers along the West Coast.

This year's report analyzed 650 sites for summer dry-weather water quality and more than 300 locations year-round, grading them on an A-F scale. Samples were collected from April 2011 to March 2012.

The higher the grade, the lower the risk of swimmers getting ill with the stomach flu, skin rashes and ear and upper respiratory infections.

In many areas, wet-weather grades drag behind dry-weather scores. During rainy periods, stormwater runoff can flow untreated toward the coast, carrying contaminants such as trash, animal waste and pesticides.

Locally, several sites earned A's during the summer (dry) monitoring period but got F's for wet-weather scores. They include the Imperial Highway storm drain near Los Angeles International Airport, Grand Avenue at El Segundo's beach, 28th Street in Manhattan Beach and the Herondo Street storm drain on the Hermosa/Redondo Beach border.

Heal the Bay is drawing attention to low wet weather scores in hopes of encouraging infrastructure

"There's still a lot of F's that we're dealing with in the wet weather," she said. "We've had some success."

James said she believes government agencies will have to take a "multipronged approach" to solving the problem by pursuing new projects and low-impact development rules.

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SoCal beaches get mixed grades on water quality

24 May 2012 Last updated at 09:30 ET

Northern Ireland has achieved its highest ever number of blue flag awards for its beaches and marinas.

Twenty-three beaches have been given blue flag status, which recognises good standards in water quality, safety, and beach facilities.

The 2012 figure is a significant improvement on last year, when only eight beaches were awarded blue flags.

Environment Minister Alex Attwood said the beach summits he called last year seemed to be "bearing fruit".

The minister presented the awards at Crawfordsburn Country Park in County Down on Thursday.

Crawfordsburn beach was among the winners, receiving its first blue flag.

Mr Attwood said: "Today's increase in blue flag and seaside awards is great news for Northern Ireland's beach users and seaside towns as they know they can expect the best when they see a blue flag or a seaside award symbol."

Eleven beaches were awarded the international blue flag. Three resort and eight rural beaches received seaside awards and two blue flags were presented to marinas.

The minister said: "Good water quality and the safety of beaches are key to our economy and tourism and we must strive to achieve highest quality standards for the enjoyment of Northern Ireland's entire world famous coastline."

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Blue Flag record for NI beaches

Heal the Bay credits the gains to a drier winter and construction of more facilities to capture, treat and divert tainted storm water. But the county still has seven of the state's top 10 most polluted beaches. The water at 82% of Los Angeles County's beaches earned solid A or B grades in Heal the Bay's annual Beach Report Card, but many of the state's most polluted shores continue to be in the ...

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Water quality at L.A. County beaches improves

NEW YORK, N.Y. - A field guide for beaches, a road trip guide and a couple of books for city-dwellers looking to get outdoors with kids offer inspiration and information for planning adventures this season.

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New books for travel and outdoors look at beaches, road trips, getting outside with kids

Michael Short

Angella Miller of Chicago walks out into the water to skip rocks at Baker Beach, one of two beaches in San Francisco that received top honors in the annual water-quality survey. The other is Ocean Beach.

Dry weather and stricter regulations have boosted water quality at Bay Area beaches to their cleanest level in years, a report released Thursday found.

Nearly every beach in the Bay Area, and throughout the state, had dramatically lower levels of bacteria and pollution than last year, according to an annual survey of 650 West Coast beaches by Heal the Bay, a Santa Monica environmental group.

"This is one of our best years yet," said Amanda Griesbach, a water-quality scientist at Heal the Bay, which compiled its data from weekly water-quality checks throughout the year along the California coast. "Especially with summer coming, people should be happy that beaches in California are clean."

Six local beaches earned top honors, including four in San Mateo County and two in San Francisco: Sharp Park and Rockaway beaches in Pacifica, Montara State Beach, Dunes Beach in Half Moon Bay, and Baker and Ocean beaches in San Francisco.

Nearly all beaches in the Bay Area earned "good" or "excellent" grades, including some in the past that have been among the most polluted, such as Baker Beach.

The report looked at bacteria and pollution seeping into coastal waters from sewage plants, industry and urban runoff. Tougher state and federal standards on water treatment and pollution have led to fewer beach closures and generally cleaner water, according to the report.

Over the past few years, the State Water Resources Control Board and its regional offices have tightened controls and increased enforcement on water treatment plants, refineries, factories and sewage treatment facilities, said Tim Moran, spokesman for the state water board.

"It's a continual process. But we try to identify the problems and take action when we can," he said.

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Water at California beaches cleanest in years

The Chicago Park District's beaches open for this year's swim season at 11 a.m. today.

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Chicago beaches open today

May 21, 2012 Updated May 21, 2012 at 12:45 PM CDT

Duluth, MN (Northlands NewsCenter) Monitoring of Lake Superior beaches will begin after Memorial Day.

The Minnesota Department of Health will be monitoring the water quality along the Lake Superior shoreline from Duluth to Grand Marais, which includes 39 public beaches.

Staff will be checking the water to detect the presence of E.coli bacteria or other harmful pathogens or contamination.

The samples will be analyzed once a week from the beaches, while samples from the most heavily used beaches will be analyzed twice weekly.

The results will be posted immediately to the telephone hotline and beach website at http://www.MNBeaches.org.

If E.Coli is detected in the samples and exceeds certain standards, MDH staff will post an advisory on the beach and issue public notices through the website. Typically, if samples exceed the standards, the MDH recommends no water contact.

Last year, of 755 samples taken, 13.5% of them triggered water contact advisories.

A significant part of the states coastal recreational waters have a risk of contamination from a variety of sources including, wildlife and pet feces, storm water runoff, sewer line breaks and overflows, failing septic systems, dirty diapers, waste discharge from boats, swimmers and anglers, and animal feeding operations.

Minnesotas Lake Superior shoreline has almost 80% public beaches or recreational water access points.

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Monitoring Begins on the Beaches of Lake Superior

Appeals court rules beaches act unconstitutional

With Memorial Day weekend just around the corner, the federal appeals court has made a big ruling on Galveston's beaches.

"This is the death knell for the Texas Open Beaches Act," said Jerry Patterson, Texas Land Commissioner. "This is not a good day for Texas."

Patterson said he disagrees with the federal appeals court ruling that the Texas Open Beaches Act is unconstitutional.

The ruling means that Galveston Island's west end beaches are now private and not open to the public.

This all started after Hurricane Ike eroded the beach, pushing the vegetation line -- the marker between public and private land -- up against homes.

Galveston waterfront property owner Carol Severance took it to court. She wanted the beach private, since it's so close to her home.

"If these people own this property, it should be their beach," beachgoer John Steed said. "Everything else not by homes should be open to the public."

Other beachgoers disagree.

"Are they going to fence off the beach? Because everyone walks the beach," beachgoer Judy Martin said.

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Appeals court rules against Open Beaches Act

FIFTEEN North East beaches have joined a sewage alert service providing real-time water quality updates.

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Beadnell and Bamburgh beaches join water update service

How to reconcile the facts that the official way to mark Memorial Day is to remember those who have lost their lives in battle, while the typical way is to hit the beach? How about finding ways to honor both traditions in one afternoon? Below are a handful of war memorials that just happen to ...

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Memorial Day Done Right: 5 War Memorials Near Beaches

GALVESTON - A federal appeals court Monday ruled that the Texas Open Beaches Act is unconstitutional in the case of a Galveston Island property, a ruling that puts the fate of Texas public beaches in doubt.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case back to Houston federal district court for retrial, but said that few issues were left to be decided.

"What issues must now be determined, aside from attorneys' fees accruing to the appellant, is unclear," the three-judge panel said in a three-paragraph opinion.

Chief Circuit Judge Edith Jones and Circuit Judge Edith Clement relied on an April advisory opinion by the Texas Supreme Court that essentially said the Open Beaches Act does not apply on West Galveston Island if the beach is rapidly eroded by storms, known as avulsion, rather than slowly eroded.

Circuit Judge Jacques Wiener Jr. dissented.

The majority said that a provision in the Open Beaches Act that allows the public beach to move landward with erosion, known as a rolling easement, did not apply to property owned by San Diego attorney Carol Severance. Severance filed suit in Houston federal court to prevent the Texas General Land Office from forcing her to remove her house from the public beach as required by the Open Beaches Act. The district court threw out the lawsuit.

The appeals court disagreed, saying that forcing her to remove the house was an unreasonable seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Texas General Land Office spokesman Jim Suydam declined comment until agency attorneys had time to review the decision.

Rolling easement 'dead'

The attorney who represented Severance, David Breener of the California-based Pacific Legal Foundation, said, "Severance is gratified that, after six years, the rolling easement is dead in Texas and its enforcement now recognized as a violation of her constitutional property rights."

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Appeals court orders retrial in Galveston Open Beaches Act case

A Florida Tech surfer is recovering after an April 19 shark attack south of Melbourne Beach.

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South Beaches surfer healing after shark attack

Dr Beach takes into account 50 different aspects when considering his list of best beaches. Sand quality, bathing safety, size of the waves, amenities, shade and how much the beach slopes are all taken into account along with a bonus point for Siesta Key being a non-smoking environment. Dr Leatherman is well qualified to make his list as he is the Director of Florida International Universitys laboratory for Coastal Research.

As well as looking good, the beach is moon-shaped and the outlying rocks create the perfect conditions for snorkeling and diving. The only downside is that the car parking quickly fills up at weekends and during the peak winter months.

Cape Florida State Park Beach Sneaking into the #10 spot to give Florida its second top beach is Cape Florida State Park Beach on Key Biscayne, just south of Miami. Also known as Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, the main landmark is the historic lighthouse at the very tip of the island. Being just a few miles from downtown Miami and the busy financial district of Brickell Ave, the beach is always busy and there is often a line to pay the toll onto the Rickenbacker Causeway, so be prepared.

Once on Key Biscayne there is plenty to see and do. Walking, bathing, building sandcastles, picnicking, boating, kayaking, cycling, fishing and taking a tour of the lighthouse can all be enjoyed. There is even an Ultralight Aircraft and Seaplane attraction on the island, so expect to see plenty of overhead activity too!

The Full List of Top 10 Beaches in the US for 2012 is shown here:

1. Coopers Beach, Southampton, NY 2. Siesta Beach, FL 3. Coronado Beach, San Diego, CA 4. Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, NC 5. Main Beach, East Hampton, NY 6. Kahanamoku Beach, Oahu, HI 7. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, MA 8. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, SC 9. Hamoa Beach, Maui, HI 10. Cape Florida State Park State Park, Key Biscayne, FL

For my money, I still think Naples Beach in southwest Florida is far and away the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, and New Smyrna Beach wins hands down for firm sand to walk on and great waves for surfing but thats just my personal opinion. Feel free to add your comments to the discussion about Floridas Best beaches on the Florida Forum.

This informative book offers details of 20 best beaches and coastal cities in Florida

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Three Florida Beaches are in the US Top 10!

Three Tendring beaches keep their Blue Flag status

12:40pm Wednesday 16th May 2012 in News By James Dwan

THREE beaches on Tendrings Sunshine Coast have retained their prestigious Blue Flags.

The awards, organised by Keep Britain Tidy, are made for offering visitors top-quality facilities, litter-free beaches and a safe environment.

Tendring Council said the accolades for Brightlingsea, Dovercourt and Clactons Martello Bay beaches offer a boost for the districts tourist trade before the summer season starts.

Tendrings beaches also held on to their six Quality Coast Awards for Martello Bay and West Beach, Clacton, Frinton Beach, Harwich Beach, Albion Beach, Walton, and the Naze, at Walton.

Stephen Mayzes, cabinet member for tourism, said: We already set very high standards for our holiday beaches, which are a vital part of the tourist offer in the district. We work hard to make sure our golden sands will attract people year after year and ensure they are also an important amenity where our residents can relax and improve their well-being. He added: While we know we have some of the best beaches and will strive to keep them that way it is great, and a real bonus to have this recognised by others .

Mr Mayzes said guidelines for water quality will be changing in 2015, which will make it more difficult for beaches to retain the honours.

He added: We are already holding talks with Anglian Water, who are responsible for water quality along the coastline, about this and what can be done in the future.

The Blue Flag scheme, launched by the Foundation for Environmental Education in 1987, recognises high standards in a number of criteria covering environmental education and information, water quality, environmental management, safety and services.

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Three Tendring beaches keep their Blue Flag status

Angela Burden, of Grange, with Alexander, 4 and Jamie, 8 months, at Henley Beach. Mrs Burden supports a proposal to ban smoking at the beach. Picture: Ian Roddie Source: AdelaideNow

WESTERN beaches could have "no smoking" sections under a proposal to be considered by Charles Sturt and Port-Enfield councils.

Charles Sturt Council will develop a policy on smoking, following concerns raised by some elected members about people lighting up in public outdoor areas, such as playgrounds and public open spaces, the Weekly Times Messenger reports.

Mayor Gary Johanson was also keen to apply for a ban on beaches in Port-Enfield, and said the council would consult the community before any changes were made.

The bans would be the first of their kind in SA, although there are already smoking restrictions in place at beaches in most Australian states.

>>For the full story, and to leave a comment, visit the Weekly Times Messenger website.

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Smoking ban plan for beaches

Mumbai, May 16:

Beaches seem to be the most favoured holiday destinations by travellers.

A survey conducted by online travel agency Expedia highlighted that 80 per cent of Indian travellers are already planning to go for a beach vacation in the next 12 months.

About 53 per cent Indians went to a domestic beach on their most recent trip while 47 per cent opted for an international beach, the survey said.

The survey reveals that as opposed to the general perception of high price sensitivity, the most important criteria for Indians to decide on a beach vacation is food and beverage reputation as well as the novelty of the destination, said Mr Manmeet Ahluwalia, Marketing Head, Expedia India.

This survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Expedia.com among 8,599 adults across 21 countries, including India.

Indians place new experiences over relaxation, with over 60 per cent travelling for the experience of another culture alongside being on the beach.

Amongst different criteria for beach preference, 76 per cent of Indians prefer to go to a beach with tourist attractions near the beach or surrounding area, followed by water and sand quality, weather predictability and secluded beach environment.

When it comes to travelling, Indian women look for a secluded beach environment, the survey said.

Mumbai took the highest share of domestic vacations at 60 per cent while Delhi led the international destination vacation segment at 47 per cent.

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Beaches, the most favoured holiday destinations: Survey

A new condo development has been approved in Toronto's Beaches neighbourhood, which some local resident oppose.

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Beaches condo development approved

Dozens of fly swatters bearing logos of collegiate and professional sports teams have been washing up on the beaches of an Alaska island.

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Dozens of flyswatters wash up on Alaska beaches

An increasing number of England's beaches have won Blue Flag awards this year, bringing the country into the top 10 worldwide.

For 2012, 79 English beaches have received the awards, nine more than in 2011. The area with the most Blue Flags this year is Thanet in Kent, with nine, followed by Torbay, in Devon, and Cornwall, both with five.

New awards for 2012 included Herne Bay in Kent, Seaton Carew Centre in Tyne and Wear, and Bridlington North and Bridlington South in East Yorkshire.

However, around 30 per cent of the beaches might not reach tougher water quality standards being introduced next year, according to Keep Britain Tidy.

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Beaches fly flag for England