When it comes to clean sandy beaches and the safest water quality, Newport Beach, California is an American coastal jewel, and it received top marks from both the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Heal the Bay organizations.   Newport beaches scored a perfect five stars and “A” grades in both reports, earning the honor of the cleanest in the country.

“These high marks for Newport beaches show the determination and committed expertise by the City to maintain and monitor our beaches, the boating community for protecting our precious waters from spillage of potentially dangerous chemicals, and the beachgoers for respecting and keeping clean this treasure that we have — miles of pristine coastline,” said Visit Newport Beach Inc. President and CEO Gary Sherwin.

The NRDC issued star ratings to 200 popular beaches around America, awarding up to five stars for exceptionally low violation rates and strong testing and safety practices. Criteria included testing oceans samples more than once a week, immediacy of public notification after a violation, and immediacy of posting closure notices both on the sand and online.

Only 13 beaches earned five-star ratings and Newport Beach’s 38th street and 52nd/53rd street stations both took top marks. Newport Beach’s Orange Street station earned four out of five stars.

More praise for Newport beaches came from Heal the Bay’s newest annual report card, which issues A through F grades to more than 600 West Coast beaches. The better the grade a beach received, the lower the risk of contracting illness from water recreation at that location.

The world famous Newport Beach surf spot, “The Wedge,” received an A+ grade and was one of only 35 beaches that made the Heal the Bay Honor Roll — an achievement for maintaining high water quality during all three conditions (summer dry weather, winter dry weather, and winter wet weather.)

Heal the Bay graded for 34 spots in Newport Beach and 28 of them earned A+ grades. Not one of the spots in Newport Beach made the dreaded “Beach Bummers” list, which reveals the most polluted beaches.

“Families want to have confidence when they book a vacation, or make a day-trip to a coastal destination that the experience is a not only enjoyable, but safe, “ says Sherwin. “Newport Beach is proud to welcome visitors to some of the cleanest beaches in the country.”