Page 112 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2025

Behind the Scenes:
Jennifer Ahlbrand, Environmental Natural Resources Specialist, takes a sample in an effort to keep coastal waters clean.
We all know clean water is essential. That’s why the work being done by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s Beach Monitoring Program—with 21 stations along the Coast—as well as its water quality restoration efforts through the MDEQ Office of Restoration, is so important. The goal is fewer beach advisories, which often means identifying the source of unclean water and stopping it before it reaches the shoreline. These efforts are how MDEQ is actively improving water quality and supporting coastal vitality.
“Sometimes, beach advisories lead back to sewer overflows or maybe a malfunctioning lift station,” says Executive Director Chris Wells. “A sample with high bacteria counts doesn’t necessarily tell us where it’s coming from; we need to trace it upstream. We’re working with cities and water authorities to solve these problems, benefitting both the environment and local communities.”
“The City of Gulfport is currently working on the Coffee Creek Sewer Rehabilitation Project, a $2.6 million initiative
story by Lynn Lofton photos courtesy of MDEQ
that’s now in the engineering phase,” explains Gulfport’s Chief Administrative Officer Wayne Miller. “MDEQ identified elevated bacteria levels in the area, which can
stem from various sources. The project addresses a key infrastructure challenge: approximately 20-30 sewer service lines currently cross over an open ditch, and we’ve discovered leaks in some of these lines over time. Our solution involves installing proper sewer mains on both sides of the ditch, eliminating the need for these problematic crossings entirely. I’m excited to move forward with this project, and I want
to commend Director Wells and his team—they’ve been excellent partners throughout this collaboration.”
Funding for these and other Coastal water quality projects comes through the RESTORE Act, which became law
in 2012, and distributes BP oil spill settlement funds to Mississippi and the other Gulf states for restoration projects. Wells says of the RESTORE Act funding that has been made available to the state, $103 million has been allocated to our Water Quality Improvement Program.
112 | August 2025
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