Ocean City Ranked One Of Cleanest Beaches In U.S.
OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ) -- A new environmental report lists two beaches along the Maryland and Delaware coastlines as some of the cleanest in the nation.
Monique Griego has more on which beaches made the list.
The report gave Ocean City and Dewey Beach five-star ratings.
Ocean City beachgoers should be happy to know they're dipping their toes in some of the cleanest coastal waters in America.
"We were there last week; we had a really good time. The beaches were clean. Water was great," said Nick Primikirios.
According to the latest water quality report by the National Resources Defense Council, Ocean City's beach six and Delaware's Dewey Beach were two of only 12 beaches in the nation to receive a five-star rating.
"This is a program designed to protect people and make them aware and allow them to make healthy choices in their swimming," said Jay Apperson, Maryland Department of the Environment.
The report took into account water samples and health violations from around 3,000 beaches.
"That's what our reputation is staked on so we're happy to get the recognition and we certainly hope people will consider that when they are vacationing or plan their vacations," said Donna Abbott, Ocean City Tourism.
The assessment looked at 30 states. Overall, Maryland's beaches came in 11th place while Delaware's beaches took the top spot.
"We wouldn't keep coming back if it wasn't clean, so I'm glad it made the list and everyone is recognizing that," said Stacy Thompson.
Although Ocean City has received recognition in the past, many locals hope these new rankings do more to beef up the beach's reputation.
"I think a lot of people take for granted that we do have these clean beaches here, maybe they want to go south or west, so it's a good thing. Maybe it will bring more tourism," said Irene Primikirios.
According to the report, the state with the worst beaches is Louisiana.
This year, Maryland beaches jumped five spots from last year's ranking, where they came in 16th place.
