MDEQ Issues Water Contact Advisory in Gulfport
Two Other Advisories Also in Effect
(JACKSON, Miss.) — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring Program, issued a water contact advisory Thursday for a sampling station in Gulfport. This segment of beach is not closed; however, there may be an increased risk of illness associated with swimming in this area.
MDEQ is working closely with local officials to advise residents that the water in the following location may have high bacteria levels:
►Station 10 – Gulfport Central Beach – from Alfonso Drive to Arkansas Avenue.
Two advisories issued May 20 are still in effect:
►Station 10B – East Courthouse Road Beach (Gulfport) – from Courthouse Road east to Tegarden Road.
►Station 11 – Gulfport East Beach – from Tegarden Road to Anniston Avenue.
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.
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 and the current status of the beach monitoring stations can be found at: 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.
# # #
