FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2009
Contact: Robbie Wilbur
601/961-5277
MDEQ ISSUES BEACH ADVISORIES FOR HANCOCK AND HARRISON COUNTIES
(JACKSON, Miss.) -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
(MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring Program, is working closely with local
officials to advise residents that the following locations may have high
bacteria levels:
Hancock County
● Station 3 - near Vacation Lane in Waveland;
Harrison County
● Station 5 - near Mary Avenue in Pass Christian;
● Station 6 - near Church Avenue in Pass Christian;
● Station 7A - near Trautman Avenue in Long Beach;
● Station 8 - near Fournier Avenue in Gulfport;
● Station 9 - near Pratt Avenue in Gulfport;
● Station 10 - near US Naval Home site near Oak Avenue in Gulfport.
An advisory issued December 12 is still in effect for these three stations:
● Station 4 - near St. Charles Street in Bay St. Louis;
● Station 10A - near Courthouse Road in Gulfport;
● Station 11 - near Cowan/Lorraine Road in Gulfport.
MDEQ strongly advises against swimming and other water contact in these
waters until water samples show a consistent safe level for human contact.
When water samples show that levels are safe for human contact, the
advisories will be lifted. Additionally, swimmers are reminded that the
Beach Task Force has a standing recommendation that swimming not occur
during or within 24 hours of a significant rainfall event.
The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, which performs water sampling of the
Mississippi Gulf Coast beaches for MDEQ, will notify the agency when the
areas have returned to acceptable levels. For more information on the
Mississippi Beach Monitoring Program:
http://www.usm.edu/gcrl/msbeach/index.cgi.
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