Tainted floodwaters close shellfish beds on Hood Canal
By Jeff Chew, Peninsula Daily News
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With the assistance of the county's public health department, state Department of Health officials on Thursday shut down all shellfish harvesting in Dosewallips and Duckabush river deltas.
The closures run through Thursday.
The decision temporarily shuts down about 15 Jefferson County commercial shellfish operations in Quilcene Bay and Hood Canal, said Bill Cleland, public health adviser with the state Department of Health's Office of Shellfish and Water Protection.
More than 20 commercial shellfish areas have been closed statewide, he said, and he expects some 130 companies could be affected, including operations in Hood Canal, Puget Sound and Grays Harbor.
Bill Dewey. spokesman for the largest operator on Hood Canal, Taylor Shellfish Co., said, "This whole flood event for Taylor, and everybody, has been a huge impact.
"The Dosewallips farm was the last one open, and now they closed it.
"When we get in situations like this, we try hardest to not lay people off, and shift them to our farm operations," Dewey said.
Cleland said the action was necessary.
"These are emergency conditions, and we're pretty much required to take actions to protect public health under these requirements," he said.
"We received information from Jefferson County Health on Wednesday that there was significant flooding, to the extent that most of the septic tanks in lower Duckabush were submerged.
"There was a similar situation in Brinnon.
"And, of course, when that happens, they don't work well."
Dr. Tom Locke, health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties, said no similar ban was in effect for Clallam County.
About four inches of rain in 24 hours on Monday and Tuesday led to the decision in Jefferson County, Cleland said.
"The policy in Quilcene is that we close Quilcene Bay when flows on Quilcene River exceed 2,000 cubic feet per second," he said.
"And they were up to over 3,000 cubic feet per second."
Fecal coliform bacteria wash into the water from immersed septic systems and from pet, livestock and wildlife manure.
Storm water washes it into the creeks, rivers and bays.
Sales at record low
Dewey said Taylor's pre-Christmas sales are at record low.
Taylor's 300-acre farm at the Dosewallips River delta, which has 18 employees, is the company's one and only such operation on the Hood Canal.
Dewey said the farm normally would be harvesting about 3,000 pounds of clams a day at Dosewallips.
State Health recommends that recreational shellfish harvesters avoid shellfish in Puget Sound - especially in areas where flooded rivers and streams flow into the Sound - for seven days after flood waters have receded.
Locke explained that clams would be less affected by storm runoff than oysters because they inhabit shallower water, Locke said.
In addition, "oysters are eaten raw," he said, "and no one in his right mind eats raw clams."
Additional alerts can be found at state Health's Web site at www.doh.wa.gov.
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Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
Reporter Jim Casey contributed to this report.
Last modified: December 07. 2007 9:00PM