Hawaii ranked seventh best out of 30 coastal states for beach water quality last year, but failed to have any of the cleanest beaches in America, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council’s 22nd annual beach water quality report.

Out of the country’s 200 most popular beaches, no Hawaii beach earned the council’s 5-star rating, which 12 beaches received.

On the other end of the scale, no Hawaii beach made the list of 15 "repeat offenders" for storm water runoff and sewage pollution that sicken people and harm coastal economies, the council said.

The Natural Resources Defense Council analyzed government data on beach water testing results from 2011 at more than 3,000 locations and found that many continue to be contaminated by human and animal waste.

Hawaii has nearly 400 public beaches over 300 miles of coastline, and 4 percent of beach water samples last year exceeded national standards for pollutants, according to the council.

The Hawaii percentage was up from 3 percent in 2009 and again in 2010, but down from the 9 percent measured in 2007, the council said.

Kauai County beaches had the highest "exceedance rate" — percent of beach water samples exceeding state standards in 2011 — at 9 percent, followed by Hawaii County (4 percent), City and County of Honolulu (2 percent) and Maui County (2 percent).

A beach water sample with more than 104 bacterial colonies per 100 milliliters exceeds state standards.

"Hawaii’s water quality remains among the best in the nation," said Gary Gill, deputy director of the state Health Department’s environmental health division. "Within our limited resources we sample important beaches on a regular basis and 90 percent of the time our ocean water meets standards. Our biggest problem in Hawaii is from storm water runoff. While that will typically cause an exceedance in bacteria standards, it’s not an indication of sewage pollution or potential disease."

The beaches with the highest "exceedance rates" in 2011 were Hanalei Beach Park (22 percent), Kalihiwai Bay (20 percent), Kee Beach (18 percent), Nawiliwili Harbor (13 percent) and Lumahai Beach (13 percent) on Kauai; and Honolii Beach Park (16 percent) and Pelekane Bay (13 percent) on Hawaii island.

Overall, America’s beaches in 2011 saw the third-highest number of closing and advisory days in more than two decades, the council said.

"Our beaches are plagued by a sobering legacy of water pollution," Jon Devine, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement. "Luckily, today more than ever, we know that much of this filth is preventable and we can turn the tide against water pollution.

"By establishing better beach water quality standards and putting untapped 21st-century solutions in place — we can make a day at the beach as carefree as it should be, and safeguard America’s vital tourism economies."