The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has lifted the beach advisory for swimming in coastal waters off Jackson County.

The beaches in Harrison and Hancock counties remain closed because of safety concerns about storm debris and problems with beach access.

After Hurricane Gustav struck last month, MDEQ issued a precautionary advisory for all of Mississippi’s coastal beaches because of an expected increase in bacteria levels. There were also safety concerns because of storm debris and problems with access to the beaches.

The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory resumed monitoring the beaches after Hurricane Ike and found bacteria levels following the storms were generally meeting water quality standards.