We drove along Biloxi beach yesterday. Yesterday, July 20th. Height of summer. We drove along the beach. It was empty. Absolutely nobody in the water. Very, very few on the sand. No jet skis or paddle boats or parasailing in sight. The beach is closed right now. Green algae bloom makes it dangerous for skin contact. The algae bloom is caused by the influx of fresh water from the opening of the Bonnet Carre' Spillway. The Spillway was built in the 1920s to alleviate flooding along the banks of the Mississippi River when there's been too much rain. It's never been opened twice in a season until now, and as of now, the total of days opened is its longest spell open in history.
129 dolphins have washed up dead. Entire oyster beds are dead. It's questionable if the seafood from algae bloom waters is safe for consumption. Our local news outlets are all over the story, and it has been mentioned a couple of times on a national level. Our governor, attorney general, senators, representatives and other officials have met with the Corps of Engineers to plead our Coast's case for closing the spillway to let our waters and aquatic life recover. Our state has been politely nodded at and pushed aside.
I realize there is so much involved in the situation that there is no simple solution. I just hope that our local beach merchants, shrimpers, fishermen and others will not be left destitute and that the name 'Mississippi' will not cause the higher-ups in our government to immediately ignore our needs.
I have attached a very informative article from our local paper. We're all trying to get the situation noticed.
https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/harrison-county/article231398673.html
And, because you will probably find that link behind a paywall (reporters need paychecks!!) here's another, just not quite as much information:
https://www.wlox.com/2019/07/09/many-still-waiting-closing-bonnet-carre-spillway/
