The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality lifted water contact warnings late Friday for all 21 standard beach segments as well as the four nonstandard segments that were issued Aug. 6. Water contact warnings were also lifted for Pass Christian Harbor, Long Beach Harbor and Bay St. Louis Harbor.

“Since monitoring first verified the presence of a Harmful Algal Bloom, our obligation has been to ensure the public’s health was protected. Today’s results are well below the threshold set to protect public health, and we are extremely pleased that we can lift the water contact warnings,” said Gary Rikard, MDEQ Executive Director.

The National Park Service said there’s been no observed evidence of the algae bloom impacting the barrier islands of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. All beaches in the park are currently open. In addition, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resource’s sampling indicates that recreational and commercial fishing off-shore in Mississippi waters remains unaffected by the algal bloom and is safe for consumption.