GULF SHORES, Ala. — In a report released last week by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Gulf Shores Public Beach was one of the highest rated beaches in the country.

The beach water quality report showed that nationwide, American beaches were seriously polluted and jeopardized the health of swimmers last year with the number of closing and advisory days at ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches reaching more than 20,000 for the fourth consecutive year.

The Gulf Shores Public Beach, however, was one of only 14 beaches across the country that received a five-star rating based on indicators of beach water quality, monitoring frequency and public notification of contamination.

Of those 14, nine are in Orange County, Calif. The others were in Maryland, Minnesota and New Hampshire, with Gulf Shores being the only Southeastern beach rated in the top category.

“Pollution from dirty storm water runoff and sewage overflows continues to make its way to our beaches.

This not only makes swimmers sick – it hurts coastal economies,” said Nancy Stoner, NRDC Water Program Co-Director. “Americans should not suffer the consequences of contaminated beach water. From contracting the flu or pink eye, to jeopardizing millions of jobs and billions of dollars that rely on clean coasts, there are serious costs to inaction.”

Using data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NRDC’s report confirms that our nation’s beach waters continue to suffer from serious contamination, including human and animal waste, that can make people sick.

“Nobody wants their trip to the beach to send them to the bathroom, or worse, the emergency room,” Stoner said. “It is vitally important to remember that if it has recently rained or you see or smell a pipe discharging onto the beach, keep your head above water or avoid swimming altogether.”

Beach water pollution makes swimmers vulnerable to a range of waterborne illnesses including stomach flu, skin rashes, pinkeye, ear, nose and throat problems, dysentery, hepatitis, respiratory ailments, neurological disorders and other serious health problems. For senior citizens, small children and people with weak immune systems, the results can be fatal.

Nationally, 7 percent of water samples in 2008 violated health standards, indicating no improvement over 2007 and 2006.

“We made the decisions to constantly improve our beach cleaning program because perfect isn’t good enough,” said Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft in a news release. “It is imperative to our future to keep our white sandy beaches pristine. It’s gratifying to know someone has noticed our efforts.”

States with the highest number of water samples that violated health standards were Louisiana (29 percent of samples violated standards), Ohio (19 percent), Indiana (18 percent) and Illinois (15 percent).

The positive report has representatives from the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau excited.

“The NRDC reports confirms what millions of guests already know about our superb vacation destination,” said Herb Malone, president/CEO of the CVB. “Both the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach make the cleanliness and safety of our beaches a top priority, and their diligent efforts are obvious. Despite the media reports about national travel, we have seen a steady influx of guests to our beaches.”