The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality  issued a water contact advisory Friday for a segment of the Bogue Chitto River beginning in Brookhaven.  The advisory extends from Hwy. 84 in Brookhaven to the Mississippi-Louisiana stateline south of Dillon’s Bridge near the community of Lehr.

The advisory is being issued due to a breach in the City of Brookhaven’s levee at the city’s wastewater treatment plant.  The breach resulted in the release of approximately 6 million gallons of stormwater-diluted sewage.  The city has made repairs, and there is no longer any discharge into the river from the breach.

MDEQ recommends that people avoid water contact such as swimming, wading, and fishing in that section of the river.  People should also avoid eating fish or anything else taken from these waters until further notice.  MDEQ will monitor the water quality in the creek and will revise the advisory as needed.