[Rimarinefisheries] FW: DEM ANNOUNCES EMERGENCY SHELLFISH CLOSURE IN BRISTOL HARBOR BEGINNING SUNRISE TUESDAY, MARCH 17 DUE TO REPORTED SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT DISINFECTION MALFUNCTION

[Duhamel, Peter (DEM)]

  News Release


RI Department of Environmental Management


235 Promenade St., Providence, RI 02908


(401) 222-2771   www.dem.ri.gov

  


For Release:  March 16, 2015

 

Contact:         Town of Bristol: Jose DaSilva, 401-253-8877

                        DEM: Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402; or

                        Cindy Hannus, 401-222-4700, Ext. 7241

 

DEM ANNOUNCES EMERGENCY SHELLFISH CLOSURE IN BRISTOL HARBOR BEGINNING
SUNRISE TUESDAY, MARCH 17 DUE TO REPORTED SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
DISINFECTION MALFUNCTION

 

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management has announced
that in addition to currently Prohibited waters within Bristol Harbor
and surrounding Hog Island, the remaining waters of Bristol Harbor and
in the vicinity of Hog Island (see attached map) will be closed to
shellfish harvesting beginning at sunrise Tuesday, March 17, until
further notice.  The closure is being enacted because of information
provided to DEM by the Town of Bristol of a lack of disinfection that
resulted in elevated bacteria levels in plant effluent.  A town official
notified DEM this morning of the issue and it is being investigated. 

 

The Bristol Harbor Master will collect water samples in Bristol Harbor
on Tuesday to test for fecal coliform bacteria levels.  The DEM will
make a determination on the duration of the closure based upon the
Department's review of those sample results.

 

Specifically, all waters North and East of a line from the Southern tip
of Poppasquash Point, Bristol to the Southwestern extremity of Arnold
Point in Portsmouth, where a DEM range marker has been established, will
be closed to shellfish harvesting beginning at sunrise on March 17,
until further notice.  Refer to the attached map as reference.

 

In addition, to accommodate previously scheduled delivery of oyster
seed, all aquaculturists in areas where the emergency shellfish closures
have been enacted will be allowed access to their leases for the
purposes of preparing for and planting the oyster seed.  All other
activities on the aquaculture lease, including but not limited to the
harvest of shellfish, will remain prohibited until the water quality is
acceptable to allow for harvest. 

 

Aquaculturists seeking permission to prepare for or plant seed under
this emergency authorization are required to contact Dave Beutel, CRMC's
aquaculture coordinator at 401-783-7587.

 

A DEM investigation of the failure is underway.  The facility is
currently operating normally.  For more information on the plant
disinfection failure, contact the Bristol Wastewater Treatment Facility
superintendent, Jose DaSilva, at 401-253-8877.

 

-more-

-2-

 

For more information about the shellfish closure, contact Cindy Hannus
in DEM's Office of Water Resources at 401-222-4700, Ext. 7241.

 

DEM maintains a 24-hour shellfishing hotline with recorded updated
information on shellfish closure areas.  That number is 222-2900.

            

-30-

            

 

 

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