Laguna Beach, a seaside artist village and resort destination in Orange County, California, has been selected as one of the cleanest beaches in America. Located halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, Laguna Beach has over seven miles of coastline and 20 pristine coves and beaches. “The city’s most famous hot spot is Main Beach – also known as Laguna’s ‘Window to the Sea.’” Main Beach received a 5-star rating and had “0” instances in 2007 of exceeding water quality standards.

“How Clean is Your Beach?” was featured this morning on the Today Show. The report discussed the findings of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) regarding pollution on the beaches of America, followed by the top three cleanest beaches in the United States. Laguna Beach was the initial mention in the top three. The NRDC “issued a rating guide awarding stars in five different categories dealing with issues such as infrequent pollution, regular monitoring and rapid response to pollution.” NRDC chose a selection of the most popular swimming beaches from across the country for these ratings and rated only those where water quality information is available for 2005, 2006 and 2007.

“We are delighted that Laguna Beach was named one of the cleanest beaches in America,” said Judy Bijlani, Executive Director of the Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau (LCVCB.) “When planning a vacation to a beach destination, water quality and cleanliness are both extremely important factors.”

The beaches that received stars in all five categories were (in order of mention):Laguna Beach, California; Hawaii: Poipu Beach, Salt Pond Beach Park, Magic Island Beach, Wailea Beach Park Hampton Beach, New York.

“As a marine protected reserve, water quality is important for the health of our tide pools and marine life,” said Karyn Philippsen, President of the Board of Directors (LBVCB.) Laguna Beach was also named one of the Top 10 Beaches in America by MSN.com.