MDEQ Lifts Three Beach Water Contact Advisories and Issues One
One Advisory Remains in Effect
(Jackson, Miss.) – The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring Program, lifted water contact advisories Thursday for Station 14 (Front Beach), Station 19 (Pascagoula Beach West), and Station 20 (Pascagoula Beach East). Water samples at these stations show the areas have attained acceptable bacteria levels.
An advisory is issued for Station 10B (East Courthouse Road Beach in Gulfport), and an advisory remains in effect for Station 15 (Shearwater Beach).
These segments of beach are not closed; however, there may be an increased risk of illness associated with swimming in these areas. When water samples show that levels are safe for human contact, the advisories will be lifted.
An advisory is issued when bacteria levels exceed water quality criteria and pose an increased risk to human health. Under the Mississippi Beach Monitoring Program, water is tested for the presence of Enterococcus bacteria, which is an indicator for bacteria pollution. When an advisory is issued, water contact should be avoided.
The advisories are lifted for:
  • Station 14 — Front Beach (Ocean Springs) — the extent is from the Yacht Club east to Jackson Ave.
  • Station 19 — Pascagoula Beach West — the extent is from Oliver St. east to Westwood St.
  • Station 20 — Pascagoula Beach East — the extent is from Westwood east to Grand Oaks.
An advisory is issued for:
  • Station 10B — East Courthouse Road Beach (Gulfport) — the extent is from Courthouse Rd. east to Tegarden.
An advisory remains in effect for:
  • Station 15 — Shearwater Beach (Ocean Springs) — the extent is from Weeks Bayou east to Ashley Place.
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.
As a reminder, MDEQ lifted water contact warnings on October 4 when results for water samples collected October 2 for toxicity testing for a blue-green Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) were all below the EPA guidelines of 8 parts per billion for microcystin toxin.
More information about the Mississippi Beach Monitoring Program and the location of beach sampling stations is available at: http://opcgis.deq.state.ms.us/beaches.
To receive beach advisories directly, fill out a contact form at http://opcgis.deq.state.ms.us/beaches/contact.html for inclusion in a public group email list, text “MDEQbeach” to 95577, or follow MDEQ on Twitter: @MDEQ.
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