(JACKSON, Miss.) – The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) today updated a water contact advisory that was issued in 2019 for a section of the Mississippi River near Greenville. The advisory includes the section of the river beginning near coordinates N33.354134 W91.129622 and ending at the Mississippi/Arkansas state line (see attached map). The advisory was initially issued due to operational issues at the City of Greenville’s wastewater treatment plant that resulted in the discharge of minimally treated wastewater into the river. The city has scheduled repair work for its wastewater treatment system beginning the week of December 28 continuing into February 2021 which will result in a planned discharge of minimally treated wastewater into the river.
MDEQ recommends that people avoid water contact recreational activities such as swimming, wading, and fishing in this segment of the river.
MDEQ continues to work with the city and the Environmental Protection Agency to address ongoing wastewater collection and treatment issues. The advisory may be revised as needed.
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