GULF COAST — As summer visitors return to Mississippi Gulf Coast beaches, state environmental officials are reminding beachgoers that water-contact advisories can appear quickly after heavy rain, wind and storm activity. 

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality lifted its remaining water-contact advisories for Gulfport Harbor Beach and Long Beach Beach on June 11, leaving all 21 monitored beach sites free of advisories as the summer tourism season continues.  

While beaches remain open and visitors may still use the sand, state officials recommend avoiding water contact during and for at least 24 hours after significant rainfall, when bacteria levels are more likely to rise.  

MDEQ tests for enterococcus bacteria, which are used as an indicator of possible pollution in coastal waters. When levels exceed state water quality standards, the agency warns people to avoid contact with the water because swimming or wading may carry an increased risk of illness. 

Coastal Monitoring Coordinator Wyatt Dunaway said bacteria can come from several sources, including birds, humans, septic systems, stormwater runoff and leaking pipes. Heavy rain can wash bacteria into coastal waters, while wind can stir up material already in the water. 

“The combination of wind and rain, it stirs up our stuff,” Dunaway said. “We could have a high sample one day and the next day it’d be below our threshold. It’s just kind of at that point in time and space that everything came together right.” 

Data provided by MDEQ shows the number of water-contact advisories has declined over the past three fiscal years, though the number of samples collected varied each year. The agency issued 42 advisories during fiscal year 2023, 40 during fiscal year 2024 and 32 during fiscal year 2025. 

Dunaway said the decline reflects local efforts to improve infrastructure and identify sources such as stormwater runoff, septic systems and leaking pipes. 

“Our cities are doing a good job of trying to find those leaks and stop them,” Dunaway said. “We’ve seen a downtrend in numbers, so something’s happening, something’s good, it’s working.” 

Dunaway said newer quantitative polymerase chain reaction, or qPCR, testing also has helped officials analyze water quality faster and more precisely, allowing advisories to be updated more quickly. 

The short-term warnings remain a recurring concern for beachgoers and coastal businesses, especially during the summer tourism season. RHCJC News previously reported some Coast visitors mistake water-contact advisories for beach closures, though according to the National Marine Ecosystem Status, beach closures in southeastern Mississippi have not increased since 2020. 

The decrease is welcome news for the area, but local tourism businesses say they still field questions about water quality along the coast. 

Ronnie Wentzel, who works in public relations and visitor outreach for Ship Island Excursions, said questions about water quality are a regular part of his daily interactions with visitors planning trips to the Coast.

“With concerns — people wanting to know if it’s safe to get in the water — I tell them all along the Coast, there are some areas that might be less safe,” Wentzel said. “The currents and all that out there keep all those bacteria away from the island because there’s a constant current flow going back and across because of the Gulf Stream the way it works.” 

Wentzel said the water plays a major role in coastal tourism and business, and advisories can help keep visitors informed about water conditions. 

“It attracts a lot of people,” Wentzel said. “Of course, most of those people — especially when you’ve got kids — they want to get out on the beach and go play. They want to get in the water. Then of course you have a lot of people still fishing and swimming all along the Coast there, and they have for many, many years.” 

MDEQ will continue issuing beach advisory updates through text alerts and press releases until Labor Day, Sept. 7, 2026. Beginning Sept. 8, routine updates will be posted on beach signage and the agency’s Beach Monitoring Program website. 

Current beach conditions are available at beaches.mdeq.ms.gov. Visitors also can sign up for text alerts by texting MDEQbeach to 833-259-4545.