Mississippi Has Some Of The Dirtiest Beaches In The Nation Due To Fecal Bacteria
By Daniella DiRienzo|Updated on January 16, 2023(Originally published January 11, 2023)
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Daniella DiRienzo
Author
Though Daniella was born in New York and has lived in a couple of other states, Mississippi has been her home for the past 25 years. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi, Daniella began to hone her writing skills through various internships, working for The Royal Obsession and Anatomie clothing. In the years since, she’s had the privilege of having her articles appear in several publications, such as Parents & Kids Magazine and Girl Meets Strong. She’s also had the honor of interviewing actress Sela Ward for The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience.
Mississippi’s beaches aren’t exactly known for having the cleanest water, despite being beautiful to look at. However, you may be surprised to learn just how unclean the water actually is. And you might be even more dismayed when you find out what it’s contaminated with. There is some pretty gross news for you if you’ve ever wondered “why is the Mississippi gulf coast water brown?” Take a look:
Back in July 2019, all the beaches along the Gulf Coast were closed because of harmful algal blooms. Even months later, 25 beaches were still closed and Mississippi officials continued to issue "water contact" warnings.
But the algae isn’t the only reason water contact warnings are occasionally issued. At times, the advisories are issued because of Enterococcus, which are bacteria that indicate fecal presence. (Yuck!)
There's some information we don't all want to know.
However, some beaches fare worse than others. A 2019 report by Environment America and the Frontier Group says that the sandy beaches of the West Coast, the Great Lakes, and here on the Gulf Coast had higher than the national average number of days in 2018 when test results showed high bacteria levels.
So this isn't one of the better places to enjoy a day in the water.
One report confirmed that among the worst were Mississippi, Illinois, and Louisiana — where each beach tested turned up positive for harmful bacteria on at least one day of the year.
To be more specific, in Mississippi, all of the 21 beach sites tested turned up with bacteria levels that were deemed unsafe. (You can see the full report on the website for Environment America. The results for Mississippi are found on page 25.)
So, how much bacteria must be present for the water to be rated "unsafe?" Standards set by the U.S. EPA say that a beach must have enough of the bacteria to sicken 32 per 1,000 swimmers.
If it's below that, it's generally considered safe for people to swim in the water.
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Wondering how the bacteria get into the water? Well, there are several ways. But two of the most common are overflows from sewage treatment plants or runoff during a heavy rain storm.
The sewage is particularly galling, as we would normally expect that to be completely self-contained.
Remember, whenever Mississippi's beaches are closed - whether it be because of algae or fecal bacteria - you can still visit and enjoy on-land activities, like sunbathing and volleyball.
There are tons of lovely things to do on the beach. You can still enjoy the water views by sitting on the sand or taking a nice, long walk at sunset to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature.
So, did you know what was lurking in the beach water, or were you searching for things like, “why is Biloxi beach water brown?” or “why is the water brown on the Mississippi gulf coast?” Does learning all of this unfortunate information affect the chances of you visiting the beach? Or, do you already avoid the beaches on the Gulf Coast? Please tell us all of your thoughts about this topic in the comments section.
The beaches may be closed but there are plenty of other places to cool off. In fact, our state is full of gorgeous places to enjoy the water. Read about some of the best swimming holes in Mississippi.
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