The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) is lifting a contact advisory for a section of the Pearl River from the Highway 25 bridge near the intersection of Highway 13 to the (Upper Lake) Low Head Dam that was issued over a month ago due to the presence of a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB).
MDEQ issued the advisory on September 24, 2025, due to the presence of several species of algae that could be harmful to humans if contact occurs.
MDEQ has regularly monitored the Pearl River during the advisory, and recent sample results show that the harmful algal bloom has significantly diminished. As a result, the expanded advisory (originally issued on September 24, 2025), is lifted.
Separately, the longstanding pollution/bacteria related water contact advisory for the section of the Pearl River from Hanging Moss Creek to the Byram Swinging Bridge remains in effect. For this stretch of the Pearl River, MDEQ continues to recommend avoiding water contact activities—such as swimming, wading, and fishing.
