Clean Beaches in the United States

Topsail Beach in North Carolina is a twenty-six mile barrier island. Topsail Island is clean with white sand and warm waters. Fresh seafood is plentiful.
Carolina Beach has warm water conditions. The beach is clean with white sand. The surf fishing is great here. Flounder, bluefish or crabs are caught frequently.

Clearwater Florida has been named the "Best City Beach on the Gulf of Mexico" by a professor who has ranked the American beaches for more than 15 years. His name is Dr. Stephen Leatherman. The first beach on his list is Sand Key beaches and Caladesi Island.The second beach on his list is the Caladesi Island State Park. These ratings are based on 50 different factors and are done annually. Here are a few factors they look at. Beach health, water temperature, presence of litter, and contact with naturalist. Park rangers and scientists are consulted. The sand quality also plays a role in the inspection. The Clean Beaches Council oversees the program in Clear Water Florida. This beach has year around lifeguards.

The Natural Resources Defense Council reports that in 2006 more beaches were closed due to pollution. Great Lake beaches seen an increase of 28 percent in 2006. The major cause of beaches being closed were due to sewage from heavy rainfall, trash left in parking lots and other debris in the streets. The NRDC expects the problem to continue.

There are several high-risk beaches that will be watched closely over the next few years. The names of these beaches are Newport beach in California, Surfside Beach in South Carolina and Coco Plum Beach in the Florida Keys. These beaches are close to pollution sources and are popular beaches on top of that.

The NRDC watches the water along these beach fronts. Since 1991, this foundation has increased awareness to let you know how clean beach water is. High-risk beaches are usually tested once a week.

We need to do our part to keep pollution out of the water. Place your trash and pet waste in trash cans. Control sewage overflow. Use plastic pants on toddlers. Dispose of household wastes, toxics and motor oil the appropriate way.

BP got permits to dump 54 percent more ammonia and 35 percent more sludge into Lake Michigan. Ammonia promotes more Algae and can cause death to fish. This is being done so that we do not have to rely on the Middle East for Petroleum. The general public would like to see more pollution controls put on BP. They want their lake to be protected. BP spokes people stated that they have taken a number of steps to keep pollution down and make water treatment better. They are trying to adhere to the environmental stewardship.