Pollution imperils 17 shellfish sites

By John Dodge | The Olympian • Published May 01, 2008

• Comments (0)

The state Department of Health has identified 17 commercial shellfish growing areas threatened with harvest restrictions or closures if pollution problems aren't fixed.

Three are in South Sound, including the area near Woodard Bay in Henderson Inlet, McLane Cove in Pickering Passage in Mason County and North Bay near Allyn.

On the plus side, lower Eld Inlet, one of 15 areas on the 2007 early warning list, has been removed from the list because of improved water quality, said Bob Woolrich, growing-area manager for the health department.

The state agency monitors marine water-quality stations throughout prime shellfish-growing areas in Puget Sound, Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay, looking for bacterial contamination that exceeds public health standards for safe consumption of shellfish.

Areas are approved for harvest, restricted when it rains or closed. Rain is critical because stormwater can flush pollution into marine bays and inlets.

Typical pollution sources are failing septic systems and animal waste.

The shellfish-growing areas serve as a barometer of the health of Puget Sound and the state's coastal waters, state Secretary of Health Mary Selecky said.

"We're seeing progress, but big challenges remain as we work to restore a healthy environment to the waters of the coast and around the sound," she said.

The pollution problems in North Bay might be related to a house that was not connected to the sewer system, transients living near the shoreline and a faulty sewer system lift station — all problems that have been fixed, Woolrich said.

But the area is off-limits to harvest pending more frequent water-quality testing by the state, he said.

McLane Cove is closed to harvest for five days after it rains 1 inch or more in 24 hours, he said.

"We haven't identified the pollution sources there yet," he added.