State lifts water-contact advisories at 6 Mississippi Coast beaches

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

The state lifted the following advisories in advance of what looks to be a string of warm days across the Mississippi Coast:

• Biloxi East Central Beach, which extends from St. Peter Street to Dukate Street.
• Long Beach Beach, between Oak Gardens and Girard avenues.
• Pass Christian East Beach, which extends from Espy Avenue to Hayden Avenue
• Pass Christian Central Beach, between Henderson Avenue and Heirn Avenue
• Pass Christian West Beach, approximately between Fort Henry Avenue and Elliot Street
• Bay St. Louis Beach, which extends from Box Culvert to Ballantine Street

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.