Remnants of Hurricane Ida Rainfall Necessitate Shellfish Harvest Closures
Coastal salt
ponds:
Shellfish harvest in the coastal salt ponds (Point Judith Pond, Potter Pond,
Ninigret Pond, Quonochontaug Pond, and Winnapaug Pond) closed at noon today and is
scheduled to reopen at noon on Thursday, Sept. 9.
Narragansett Bay: Upper Bay
shellfish conditional Area A, and Upper Bay Area B closed today at noon and
will remain closed until Sunday, Sept. 12, at noon. Greenwich Bay closed today
at noon and is scheduled to reopen at noon on Thursday, Sept. 9. In addition,
the waters south of Conditional Area B to a line from Quonset Point to the
southern tip of Prudence Island to Carr Point in Portsmouth closed at noon
today and are scheduled to reopen at noon on Thursday, Sept. 9. Mount Hope Bay
and the Kickemuit River closed today at noon and are closed until further
notice.
The
shellfish harvest closures were put into effect after the remnants of Hurricane
Ida passed through the area and dropped about four to eight inches of rain in
Rhode Island. This excessive rain caused extreme stormwater runoff and, in some
areas, triggered wastewater treatment bypasses, combined sewer overflows, and
sewer system overflows that can convey contaminants into shellfish harvest
areas.
Previously collected data indicate that these conditions result in bacterial levels that are not acceptable for shellfish harvesting in the waters listed above.
Rhode
Island shellfish are much sought-after seafood because of a long history of
delivering a high-quality product. This is achieved by diligent monitoring of
shellfish harvesting waters and protecting public health with a high level of
oversight when conditions indicate a change in water quality either from
natural sources such as algae blooms or by the quick response to emergency
conditions.
DEM,
the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), and the RI Coastal Resources
Management Council, along with industry partners, collaborate to ensure that
shellfish grown and harvested from Rhode Island waters continues to be a
quality, safe seafood product to be enjoyed by all consumers.
For
more information on the shellfish harvesting classifications, review the annual
notice available at RIDEM - Shellfish. An interactive shellfishing map is also
available.
For
information on emergency and conditional area water quality related shellfish
closures, call DEM's 24-hour shell fishing hotline at 401-222-2900, visit
www.dem.ri.gov/shellfish, or sign up for the Office of Water Resources'
listserv here: RishellfishOWR-subscribe@listserve.ri.gov.
For
information about DEM programs and services, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow us on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM or on Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM) for
timely updates.
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