FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2013
Contact: Robbie Wilbur
601/961-5277
MDEQ Issues Water Contact Advisories For Several Locations
(JACKSON, Miss.) -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring Program, issued water contact advisories Saturday for three sampling stations. These segments of beach are not closed; however, there may be an increased risk of illness associated with swimming in these areas.
MDEQ is working closely with local officials to advise residents that the water in the following locations may have high bacteria levels:
●Station 7A -- Long Beach -- from Oak Gardens east to Girard.
●Station 14 -- Front Beach -- from the Yacht Club east to the end of Jackson Avenue.
●Station 15 – Shearwater -- from Weeks Bayou to Ashley.
Advisories were also issued March 1 for these locations:
●Station 10 -- Gulfport Central -- from Alfonso Drive east to the old VA entrance.
●Station 5 -- Pass Christian West – from Fort Henry Avenue east to Elliot Street.
●Station 6 -- Pass Christian Central – from Henderson Avenue east to Heirn Avenue.
When water samples show that levels are safe for human contact, the advisories will be lifted. The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, which performs water sampling of the Mississippi Gulf Coast beaches for MDEQ, notifies the agency when an area has returned to acceptable levels.
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.
More information on the Mississippi Beach Monitoring Program:
http://www.usm.edu/gcrl/msbeach/index.cgi.
To receive beach advisories directly, send an email to rwilbur@deq.state.ms.us for inclusion in a public group email list, text "beach" to 601-863-8082,
or follow MDEQ on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/MDEQ.
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MDEQ has set up a texting group for media on the Gulf Coast. If you would like to be on the list and receive info via text, then text "coastmedia" to 601-863-8082, or follow MDEQ on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/#!/MDEQ |