FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2010
CONTACT: Robbie Wilbur
601-421-5699
MDEQ ISSUES BACTERIA-RELATED BEACH ADVISORY FOR ONE LOCATION IN JACKSON COUNTY
ADVISORY NOT RELATED TO GULF OIL SPILL
(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 location may have a high bacteria level:
● Station 17 in Ocean Springs -- St. Andrews Beach near Main Street.
This is advisory is not connected to any oil spill activity. 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 advisory 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 area has 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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Mr. Robbie Wilbur
Communications Director
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Post Office Box 2261
Jackson, Mississippi 39225
601/961-5277
601/421-5699 (c)
601/961-5715 (f) |