MDEQ Issues Two Water Contact Advisories and Lifts Three Advisories

MDEQ Issues Two Water Contact Advisories and Lifts Three Advisories

(JACKSON, Miss.) — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring Program, issued two water contact advisories Wednesday for sampling stations in Harrison County.  These segments of beach are not closed; however, there may be an increased risk of illness associated with swimming in these areas.

MDEQ is working closely with local officials to advise residents that the water in the following location may have high bacteria levels:

●Station 7A — Long Beach — from Oak Gardens Avenu east to Girard Avenue.

●Station 8 — Gulfport West — from Marie Avenue east to Camp Avenue.

Advisories are lifted for the following stations:

●Station 10 — Gulfport Central — from 20th Avenue east to Thornton Avenue.

●Station 10B — East Courthouse Road — from Courthouse Road east to Tegarden Road.

●Station 12A — Biloxi West Central — from Travia Avenue east to Iberville Drive.

When water samples show that levels are safe for human contact, the advisories will be lifted.  The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, which performs water sampling of the Mississippi Gulf Coast beaches for MDEQ, notifies the agency when an area has returned to acceptable levels.

Additionally, swimmers are reminded that the Beach Task Force has a standing recommendation that swimming not occur during or within 24 hours of a significant rainfall event.

More information on the Mississippi Beach Monitoring Program:
http://www.usm.edu/gcrl/msbeach/index.cgi.

To receive beach advisories directly, send an email to rwilbur@deq.state.ms.us for inclusion in a public group email list, text “MDEQbeach” to 95577, or follow MDEQ on Twitter:  @MDEQ.

# # #