What’s the bacteria status of Mississippi Coast beaches for the holiday weekend?

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality team in Biloxi has tested beaches under federal standards for more than two decades. The program is funded through Congress and runs year-round. They must bring water to the lab within six hours of their sample. And they issue an advisory only if two tests in a row show higher-than-normal levels of bacteria.

The results hold clues about science and health. The state has a standing advisory against swimming after heavy rain because runoff from drains south of the railroad tracks inevitably washes pollutants into the water. The bacteria’s source is not always clear, but researchers say faulty septic tanks and sewers can leak through the stormwater system. Data from years of testing shows advisories have ebbed and flowed but endured steadily over the last decade.

Current status

Here is the current status of all 21 beaches the team tests, updated on July 5 at 11 a.m.:

• Lakeshore Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Buccaneer State Park Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Waveland Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Bay St. Louis Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Pass Christian West Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Pass Christian Central Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Pass Christian East Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Long Beach Beach: No active advisory or closure.
• Gulfport West Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Gulfport Harbor Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Gulfport Central Beach: No active advisory or closure
• East Courthouse Road Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Gulfport East Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Edgewater Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Biloxi West Central Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Biloxi East Central Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Biloxi East Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Front Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Shearwater Beach: No active advisory or closure
• Pascagoula Beach West: No active advisory or closure
• Pascagoula Beach East: No active advisory or closure

What an advisory means

The bacteria that most often leads to advisories is called Enterococcus, and is a common nuisance on shorelines across the country. But scientists say it means there could be stormwater runoff in the water that might cause digestive problems or infections.

Just because there is a water-contact advisory for a beach does not mean the beach is closed.

This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 10:11 AM.