Dewey Beach, Delaware

Delaware's Dewey Beach (pictured) is among 12 U.S. beaches to receive a five-star ranking by The Natural Resources Defense Council, which looked at best practices and number of health violations. The environmental group's annual assessment of 3,000 beach sites ranked Delaware's beach water quality first among 30 states.

Keep clicking to see the other five-star beaches, and a list of those deemed "repeat offenders."

Credit: Flickr/Lee Cannon