CHICAGO | Illinois led the nation last year in contaminated beach water, followed closely by fourth-ranked Indiana, a new report released Tuesday shows.

The report by the Natural Resources Defense Council reviewed 2007 data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on beach closings and advisory days. Indiana's beach closings nearly doubled to 213 days from 111 the previous year, while Illinois beaches shuttered 34 percent more to 793 days, according to the report.

Across the country, beaches along oceans, bays and the Great Lakes were closed more than 20,000 days for the third consecutive year, the report said.

Great Lakes beaches were home to the highest level of contamination of any U.S. coastal region, with 15 percent of water samples violating health standards, according to the report.

Indiana and Illinois beaches with the highest exceedance of acceptable bacteria level include:

INDIANA:

Lake County - Jeorse Park - 52 percent

LaPorte County - Washington Park - 42 percent

Porter County - Indiana Dunes State Park East - 20 percent

ILLINOIS, Cook County

Kathy Osterman Beach - 100 percent

Jackson Park Beach - 56 percent

Winnetka Elder Park Beach - 44 percent

To review the report, go to http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/titinx.asp