Image by Flickr user Noelle And Mike

The most recent edition of the Natural Resources Defense Council's annual beach water quality report has South Carolina ranked as having the ninth best quality in the nation.

Myrtle Beach earned the (controversial) distinction as home to the worst waters in the state.

As far as Charleston County beaches are concerned, only Sullivan's Island had any sort of issues in 2010, with high bacteria levels in just 5% of the tests performed.

The following South Carolina beaches had the highest percentage of poor test results:

• Myrtle Beach State Park and Campgrounds - 15%
• Surfside Beach - 11%
• Myrtle Beach - 8%
• Briarcliffe Acres Beach (Horry County) - 6%
• Edisto Beach - 5%
• Sullivan's Island - 5%
• Springmaid Beach (Horry County) - 4%
• Arcadia Beach (Horry County) - 3%
• Harbor Island (Beaufort County) - 3%
• Nationwide average - 8%

You can get some details over at The Post and Courier's report here or check out the group's report on South Carolina here.

This year's results of the report for our state are largely inline with past reports. 

(Write-trhough update July 6 by Ken Hawkins.)