BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss — An algae bloom in Lake Pontchartrain and along the Gulf Coast is showing no signs of going away. Officials have updated their advisories and found it's spreading.
The week of Fourth of July brings Bay St. Louis to life.
"We usually have a huge party about 160 people," Debbie Blitch said.
This year though is different. The crowds are in town having a good time, but the water is eerily quiet.
"Usually on a day like today, you'd see a lot more boats, you'd see a lot more jet skis," Anthony DiLorenzo said.
A harmful algae bloom has been spreading, prompting multiple "Water Contact Advisories" along the bay, and now a nearby river.
"We're getting updates probably one to two times a day," Mayor Mike Favre said. "Yesterday morning, it moved up. It was south of I-10 on the Jourdan River. It's hard to tell (if it'll go up the river). It's hard to tell how much they've found up there."
"Even though you may not see the bloom it's pretty much everywhere," DiLorenzo said.
First spotted a few weeks ago, it's believed this green muck could linger for weeks if not months.
"If you notice there were flags up," Blitch said. "In certain areas they warn you, you shouldn't swim in it, pets shouldn't go in it."
"It seems to be growing," DiLorenzo said. "It seems to be worse."
And the advisories could linger on as well.
"The way it looks right now, it'll be in place until they close the Spillway," Favre said.
With "vacay mode" in full effect, many aren't letting the warnings ruin their fun. However, some are thinking ahead.
"You can't fish, you can't crab, you have to stay out of the water," DiLorenzo said. "It's decimated what few oysters we have. My main concern is the future and what we're going to be doing long term with this."
The concern is real, but people are hopeful it'll dissipate, and the water will once again be safe to enjoy.
There are plenty of events and firework shows planned for the next few days in and around Bay St. Louis (including the Jourdan River). As of now, nothing has been cancelled, and officials are hoping to put on a show.