21 MS Coast beaches are tested for bacteria. Which ones are under advisories?
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:
- Lakeshore Beach: Clear
- Buccaneer State Park Beach: Clear
- Waveland Beach: Clear
- Bay St. Louis Beach: Clear
- Pass Christian West Beach: Clear
- Pass Christian Central Beach: Clear
- Pass Christian East Beach: Clear
- Long Beach Beach: Water-contact advisory since March 12. The advisory is the result of probable high levels of Enterococci bacteria from Oak Gardens eastward to Girard.
- Gulfport West Beach: Advisory since April 23. The advisory is the result of probable high levels of Enterococci bacteria from Marie Avenue eastward to Camp Avenue.
- Gulfport Harbor Beach: Advisory since April 23. The advisory is the result of probable high levels of Enterococci bacteria from 20th eastward to Thornton Ave
- Gulfport Central Beach: Clear
- East Courthouse Road Beach: Water-contact advisory since March 16. The advisory is the result of probable high levels of Enterococci bacteria from Courthouse Rd eastward to Tegarden
- Gulfport East Beach: Clear
- Edgewater Beach: Clear
- Biloxi West Central Beach: Clear
- Biloxi East Central Beach: Water-contact advisory since May 5. The advisory is the result of probable high levels of Enterococci bacteria from St. Peter Street eastward to Dukate Street.
- Biloxi East Beach: Clear
- Front Beach: Clear
- Shearwater Beach: Clear
- Pascagoula Beach West: Clear
- Pascagoula Beach East: Clear
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.