Update: State lifts water-contact advisories at 3 Mississippi Coast beaches

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality lifted three water contact advisories this week after tests found bacteria levels were back to normal.

The state on Thursday lifted an advisory at Gulfport Harbor Beach, which extends from 20th Avenue to Thornton Avenue. Advisories also lifted on Wednesday at Biloxi East Central Beach and Long Beach.

The advisories are common on the Mississippi Coast and across the country. Researchers say the advisories are often triggered by faulty septic tanks or sewers that leak through the stormwater system and drain into the Mississippi Sound.

The Department of Environmental Quality tests every Coast beach weekly for the bacteria, which are called Enterococcus and can indicate the possibility that sewage is contaminating the water.

The agency’s tests do not track a separate and rare bacteria called Vibrio, which has spiked this year across the region. Vibrio has infected 32 people and killed eight this year across the Gulf Coast, according to state health departments. Vibrio bacteria naturally live in coastal waters and can cause serious infections. Enterococcus is not usually harmful to humans, but scientists use it to indicate pollution or other bacteria are in the water.

Scientists at the Department of Environmental Quality test beaches under advisory every day until Enterococcus bacteria levels return to normal. The agency also has a standing advisory against swimming after heavy rain because runoff from drains south of the railroad tracks inevitably washes pollutants into the water.

Tests this week showed bacteria levels are normal at all other beaches across the Mississippi Coast.

Here is the full list of advisories in 2025:

August 9: The state issued an advisory for Biloxi East Central Beach. The advisory lifted Aug. 13.

August 7: The state issued an advisory for Gulfport Harbor Beach. The advisory lifted Aug. 14.

July 31: The state issued an advisory for Long Beach. The advisory lifted Aug. 13.

July 10: The state issued an advisory for Pass Christian Central Beach. The advisory lifted July 15.

June 27: The state issued advisories for Biloxi West Central Beach and Biloxi East Central Beach. The advisories lifted July 5.

June 14: The state issued advisories for Bay St. Louis Beach and Gulfport Harbor Beach. The advisory in Gulfport lifted June 19. The advisory in Bay St. Louis lifted June 20.

June 6: The MDEQ issued an advisory for Biloxi West Central Beach. The advisory lifted June 14.

May 15: The state issued advisories for Pass Christian Central Beach and Long Beach Beach. The advisories lifted May 21.

May 6: The state issued advisories for Pass Christian West Beach and Edgewater Beach. The advisories lifted May 14.

April 18: The state issued an advisory for Gulfport East Beach. That advisory lifted April 23.

April 17: The state issued an advisory for Pass Christian West Beach, Gulfport Harbor Beach and Gulfport Central Beach. The advisory for Gulfport Central Beach lifted April 23. The Pass Christian West Beach advisory lifted April 24. The advisory for Gulfport Harbor Beach lifted May 21.

March 20: The state issued advisories for Pass Christian East Beach and Gulfport West Beach. The state lifted the advisory for Pass Christian East Beach on May 7. The advisory at Gulfport West Beach lifted May 14.

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. The advisory for Pass Christian Central Beach lifted April 23.

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. The advisory in Long Beach lifted May 7.

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 August 11, 2025 at 2:05 PM.