Beach Closed Due to Sewage Leak
Parts of the Biloxi beach were closed today due to raw sewage making its way into the Mississippi Sound. This is an issue that is all too common around the Coast. Today News 25’s Shelby Graham spoke with the city of Biloxi to hear how they are addressing it.
Around 10 last night, a resident on Sylvania Street in Biloxi reported hearing water in the storm drain. This was not the sounds of rain but of raw sewage leaking from a crack in the road and heading towards the Mississippi Sound. “Unfortunately, there was some untreated water that went into the storm drain and went on out into the sound,” said Biloxi Public Affairs Manager Vincent Creel.
A crew from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality was on the scene immediately and they were able to repair the leak. Unfortunately, sewage still found its way on to the beaches and into the water. This has forced MDEQ to temporarily close the beach from Miramar Avenue to St. George Avenue.
The city of Biloxi say they are dedicated to keeping the water safe. They monitor the water on a regular basis thanks to the Mississippi Beach Monitoring Program. While a minor beach closure may be inconvenient, in the long run it is keeping the people of Biloxi safe. “See a lot of communities are afraid to test their water for what they might find in there, the results and how negative they may be to the tourism population. What we do is this water is tested on a regular basis and anytime there is an issue, we tell the public and we deal with it,” said Creel.
There are over 40 miles of the Mississippi Gulf Coast shoreline that the Mississippi Beach Monitoring Program maintains. As soon as they get two water samples that come back clean, they will be able to reopen the beach.
The city is hoping these monitoring efforts will help keep the beaches safer and cleaner for the Coast.
Around 10 last night, a resident on Sylvania Street in Biloxi reported hearing water in the storm drain. This was not the sounds of rain but of raw sewage leaking from a crack in the road and heading towards the Mississippi Sound. “Unfortunately, there was some untreated water that went into the storm drain and went on out into the sound,” said Biloxi Public Affairs Manager Vincent Creel.
A crew from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality was on the scene immediately and they were able to repair the leak. Unfortunately, sewage still found its way on to the beaches and into the water. This has forced MDEQ to temporarily close the beach from Miramar Avenue to St. George Avenue.
The city of Biloxi say they are dedicated to keeping the water safe. They monitor the water on a regular basis thanks to the Mississippi Beach Monitoring Program. While a minor beach closure may be inconvenient, in the long run it is keeping the people of Biloxi safe. “See a lot of communities are afraid to test their water for what they might find in there, the results and how negative they may be to the tourism population. What we do is this water is tested on a regular basis and anytime there is an issue, we tell the public and we deal with it,” said Creel.
There are over 40 miles of the Mississippi Gulf Coast shoreline that the Mississippi Beach Monitoring Program maintains. As soon as they get two water samples that come back clean, they will be able to reopen the beach.
The city is hoping these monitoring efforts will help keep the beaches safer and cleaner for the Coast.
Leave a Reply