MDEQ lifts post-Isaac closure on stretch of beach

HARRISON COUNTY — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has lifted a beach closure issued Aug. 31 for a portion of the beach in Harrison County.

The stretch of beach is at Station 11A, Edgewater Beach, which extends from Debuys Road on the west to Edgewater Avenue on the east.

MDEQ issued a closure for all beach waters in the wake of Hurricane Isaac. Water samples at this station show the area has attained acceptable bacteria levels.  The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, which performs water sampling of the Mississippi Gulf Coast beaches for MDEQ, notifies the agency when an area returns to acceptable levels and safe conditions.

The Harrison County Sand Beach Department reports this monitoring station is included in the section of beach that has been cleared of debris and opened to the public.

All other beach monitoring stations remain closed for water contact activity due to debris hazards and/or water quality concerns. MDEQ says it is sampling water quality as beach station sites are cleared of debris and will continue to lift closures at cleaned sites when tests indicate the water quality meets standards.