[Watersheds] FW: DEM set to reopen Upper Bay shellfishing on Warwick coastline after emergency closure — 10/4/22

[Panciera, Ernie (DEM)]

[DEM-logo-small]

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade Street | Providence, RI 02908 | 401.222.4700 | http://www.dem.ri.gov<http://www.dem.ri.gov> | @RhodeIslandDEM


CONTACT: Mike Healey, 401-258-0787                                                          FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Michael.Healey at dem.ri.gov<mailto:Michael.Healey at dem.ri.gov>                                                                          Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022

DEM SET TO REOPEN WEST SIDE OF SHELLFISH AREA A IN UPPER BAY
AT SUNRISE ON OCT. 5; AREA HAD BEEN CLOSED SINCE SEWAGE SPILL

PROVIDENCE, RI: The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is announcing that the emergency closure of the western side of Upper Narragansett Bay shellfish Area A is ending at sunrise tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 5. The emergency closure was for waters west of a line extending from Conimicut Point south to the extension of Ogden Avenue in Warwick. DEM put it in place after a ruptured sewer line on Lake Shore Drive discharged untreated sewage Sept. 12-14 into Warwick Pond, which flows into Buckeye Brook and ultimately into Mill Cove and Upper Narragansett Bay southwest of Conimicut Point.

[cid:image002.png at 01D8D7F8.D9354D80]

Water samples collected by the Warwick Sewer Authority and DEM have shown a decline in bacteria levels to normal levels since the sewer line break was repaired and the discharge to the pond ended on Sept. 14. Therefore, in accordance with DEM procedures and US Food and Drug Administration guidance<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.fda.gov/food/federalstate-food-programs/national-shellfish-sanitation-program-nssp*:*:text=The*20National*20Shellfish*20Sanitation*20Program,and*20sold*20for*20human*20consumption__;I34lJSUlJSUlJQ!!KKphUJtCzQ!O98KRH1cVEZHgfjz_nsiwawJwd55TF9H1iGKNKJWpylaY8wrzRuB0YZbD8B474WVaPXYgHdMSkO40Lf2NwQgp3VBTff76LHVTVlJ$  [fda[.]gov].>, DEM is reopening the area 21 days after the sewage spill ended.

Along with reopening Area A to shellfishing, DEM and the Rhode Island Department of Health are lifting the no-contact advisory that they had placed on Warwick Pond, Buckeye Brook, Mill Creek, and Mill Cove on Sept. 13 advising residents to temporarily refrain from both primary contact recreational water activities (wading, swimming) and secondary contact activities (canoeing, kayaking, rowing, and fishing) and to avoid consuming any fish from these waters.

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 http://www.dem.ri.gov/shellfish<http://www.dem.ri.gov/shellfish>, or sign up for the Office of Water Resources' listserv here: RishellfishOWR-subscribe at listserve.ri.gov<mailto:RishellfishOWR-subscribe at listserve.ri.gov>.


For information about DEM programs and services, visit http://www.dem.ri.gov<http://www.dem.ri.gov/>. Follow us on Facebook at https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!O98KRH1cVEZHgfjz_nsiwawJwd55TF9H1iGKNKJWpylaY8wrzRuB0YZbD8B474WVaPXYgHdMSkO40Lf2NwQgp3VBTff76ErW77sA$  [facebook[.]com]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!O98KRH1cVEZHgfjz_nsiwawJwd55TF9H1iGKNKJWpylaY8wrzRuB0YZbD8B474WVaPXYgHdMSkO40Lf2NwQgp3VBTff76ErW77sA$  [facebook[.]com]> or on Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM) for timely updates.

###


Michael J. Healey | Chief Public Affairs Officer
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade Street, Providence RI 02908
401-222-4700, X277-7273
Email: michael.healey at dem.ri.gov<mailto:michael.healey at dem.ri.gov>
Web: http://www.dem.ri.gov<http://www.dem.ri.gov/>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://listserve.ri.gov/pipermail/watersheds/attachments/20221005/405ff720/attachment-0001.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: image/png
Size: 31668 bytes
Desc: image001.png
Url : http://listserve.ri.gov/pipermail/watersheds/attachments/20221005/405ff720/attachment-0002.png 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.png
Type: image/png
Size: 942513 bytes
Desc: image002.png
Url : http://listserve.ri.gov/pipermail/watersheds/attachments/20221005/405ff720/attachment-0003.png