HUNTER beaches have won a clean bill of health in the latest statewide water quality audit for coastal swimming spots.
The region's 17 beaches sat comfortably in the top two gradings, with only Little Beach at Swansea Heads failing to secure the highest mark of Very Good.
The Very Good grading means the sites had excellent water quality and were almost always suitable for swimmers.
The NSW state of the beaches report for last financial year found the 60-metre stretch of Little Beach at Lake Macquarie "can be susceptible to pollution after heavy rain".
Faecal contamination meant enterococci levels increased slightly in wet conditions and occasionally exceeded the safe swimming limit "after no rain, and often after light rain".
The latest result is an improvement for both Stockton and Fingal beaches, among four that rose to the Very Good classification.
Toowoon Bay on the Central Coast also climbed up to Good.
NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said statewide a confirmation of excellent water quality at nearly every beach in the state was welcome after the flooding and heavy rains in that year.
"As we head into swim season it is great news that 96 per cent of our monitored beaches have excellent water quality," she said.
"Rainfall is the main reason water quality changes, and we had a lot of it in 2022. As a result, many inland and freshwater swimming sites did not perform as well as our ocean beaches.
"While 96 per cent of beaches have excellent water quality, the Beachwatch website has real-time information for swimmers who want to check conditions after rainfall."
Malabar and Coogee beaches in Sydney were graded as poor.
Estuarine swimming spots fared worse than ocean beaches due to the excess rain and stormwater.
The report is compiled from water quality samples monitored under Beachwatch and associated programs.
