State says water contact should be avoided at these 3 Mississippi Coast beaches

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Beachgoers should avoid the water in specific areas off Lakeshore, Bay St. Louis and Long Beach beaches in South Mississippi, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality advised Thursday.

While the beaches are open, high bacteria levels indicate an increased risk of illness from contact with the water.

The MDEQ issued the advisories for these specific locations:

• Lakeshore Beach — the affected area is from Silver Slipper Casino to Poinset (Station 1).
• Bay St. Louis Beach — the affected area is from Box Culvert to Ballantine St. (Station 4).
• Long Beach Beach — the affected area is from Oak Gardens east to Girard (Station 7A).

Also, MDEQ says swimming should be avoided for 24 hours after a significant rainfall.

MDEQ will issue beach advisories through Labor Day, Sept. 7. Beginning Sept. 8, 2026, water-contact advisories will be posted on beach signs and MDEQ’s beach monitoring website.

Anita Lee

Sun Herald

601-909-0638

Anita, a Mississippi native, graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and previously worked at the Jackson Daily News and Virginian-Pilot, joining the Sun Herald in 1987. She specializes in in-depth coverage of government, public corruption, transparency and courts. She has won state, regional and national journalism awards, most notably contributing to Hurricane Katrina coverage awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service. Support my work with a digital subscription