(JACKSON, Miss.) – The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring program, lifted a beach closure Friday that had been issued June 13 for a segment of beach in Ocean Springs:
► From Jackson Avenue to the Small Craft Harbor.
MDEQ advises that people can now engage in water contact such as swimming or wading and can consume fish or anything else taken from these waters. Water samples taken during the last few days returned results below the levels of concern.
There are four beach advisories that remain in effect for stations 9, 10B, 11, and 12A. These segments of beach are not closed; however, there may be an increased risk of illness associated with swimming in these areas.
Advisories remain in effect for:►Station 9 — Gulfport Harbor Beach — near Pratt Ave — the extent is from 20th Ave. east to Thornton Ave.
►Station 10B — East Courthouse Road Beach — near Courthouse Road Pier, Gulfport — from Courthouse Rd. east to Tegarden Rd.
►Station 11 — Gulfport East Beach — near Cowan/Lorraine Road — from Tegarden Rd. east to Anniston Ave.
►Station 12A — Biloxi West Central Beach — from Travia St. east to Iberville Dr.
When water samples show that levels are safe for human contact, the advisories will be lifted. 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 about the Mississippi Beach Monitoring Program and the status of beach advisories is available at: http://opcgis.deq.state.ms.us/beaches.
To receive beach advisories directly, send an email to rwilbur@mdeq.ms.gov for inclusion in a public group email list, text “MDEQbeach” to 95577, or follow MDEQ on Twitter: @MDEQ.
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