Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) issued a temporary water contact advisory Wednesday for portions of Sand Creek and a tributary stream in Oktibbeha County, east of Starkville. MDEQ discovered a leaking sewage line on an unnamed tributary to Sand Creek located east of the Department of Public Safety Offices on Highway 182. This advisory begins on the unnamed tributary at Mayhew Road and continues downstream to the confluence with Sand Creek and extends downstream on Sand Creek to Hickory Grove Road south.
MDEQ recommends that people avoid water contact recreation such as wading or swimming in this area. In addition, people should avoid eating fish from this area until further notice.
MDEQ is working with the owner of the line to repair the leak and to minimize the release of wastewater into the stream. MDEQ staff is also collecting samples from the area to determine the severity and extent of the problem. The advisory will be lifted when water sampling shows acceptable bacteria levels.
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