Update: MS warns against going in the water at another beach, for a total of 8

The bacteria keep turning up on beaches.

Again on Thursday, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality said routine tests had discovered it in three new places: Pass Christian West Beach, Gulfport Harbor Beach and Gulfport Central Beach.

By Friday, Gulfport East Beach fell under an advisory, too.

The latest warnings mean eight beaches from Pass Christian to Gulfport now have higher-than-normal bacteria levels.

All of them are still open. But the state recommends avoiding the water during advisories, and the enduring annoyance has already appeared on more than a dozen Mississippi Coast shorelines this year.

The state tests weekly for bacteria called Enterococcus, which lives in the intestinal tracts of some animals. Its presence can suggest bacteria from from wastewater treatment plants, septic systems or boat sewage is also in the water.

It is unclear what causes each advisory, but they often increase in warmer months and are also common after rain. Cracked septic tanks, overflowing manholes and crumbling sewer lines can prompt advisories by sending untreated wastewater into roadside ditches, where storm-water drains wash it into the Mississippi Sound.

The bacteria can also come from wildlife, including bird colonies. Advisories can even be triggered by strong winds that disturb sediment in the water, according to the state’s beach monitoring website.

The Department of Environmental Quality says swimming during an advisory can increase the risk of illness, including infection or digestive problems. It also notes any natural body of water poses some risk to swimmers. The warnings have long frustrated some beach businesses, who say the water is fine and that the advisories hurt tourism.

The state will test all eight beaches each day until bacteria levels return to normal.

Here is the full list of advisories in 2025:

March 20: The state issued advisories for Pass Christian East Beach and Gulfport West Beach.

March 13: The state issued an advisory for Bay St. Louis Beach and Pass Christian Central Beach. A day later, it issued an advisory for Biloxi East Central Beach. Mississippi lifted the advisories at Bay St. Louis Beach and Biloxi East Central Beach on March 19.

Feb. 13: Mississippi issued an advisory in Long Beach, Pass Christian Central Beach and Bay St. Louis Beach. The advisories in Pass Christian and Bay St. Louis lifted Feb. 26.

Feb. 6: The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality issued a water contact advisory at Gulfport West Beach. The advisory lifted Feb. 12. The agency also issued an advisory at Waveland Beach, which lifted Feb. 26.

Jan. 17: The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality issued an advisory at Front Beach in Ocean Springs. The advisory ended Jan. 29.

This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 4:01 PM.