WBRZ - Baton Rouge

NEW ORLEANS - An environmental group's annual look at water quality at the nation's vacation beaches rates Louisiana's among the most contaminated.

The report by the Natural Resources Defense Council says 29 percent of water samples taken at Louisiana beaches showed elevated bacterial levels.

The national average is 8 percent.

An analysis of the report shows high bacteria levels were found in 44 percent of water samples collected at five Cameron Parish beaches.

Grand Isle beaches fared much better, with elevated bacteria counts found in 9 percent of nearly 250 samples.

Testing also showed an 8 percent contamination rate in Bay St. Louis, Miss.

No bad samples were found at Dauphin Island or Gulf Shores in Alabama or in Pensacola, Fla.