For the first time in years, a shellfish growing area in Jefferson County has been listed by the state Department of Health as too polluted and probably unsafe.
The department on Monday listed East Jefferson County waters near Port Hadlock and Dungeness Bay in Clallam County as two of 20 threatened shellfish areas in a record number of 12 counties statewide.
The list identifies areas that are on the verge of failing public health standards or deteriorating water quality.
David Christensen, manager of the Jefferson County Department of Natural Resources, said the problem is isolated to one monitoring station in Port Townsend Bay off lower Port Hadlock.
“None of the others has shown elevated coliform,” Christensen said.
The problem doesn’t affect Jefferson County’s other shellfish growing areas, according to Christensen.
In Clallam County, a Jamestown S’Klallam tribal official on Monday bemoaned the Health Department’s listing of Dungeness Bay.
“This is sad news for Puget Sound, sad news for Dungeness Bay, and sad news for Clallam County,” said Lyn Muench, the tribe’s natural resources planner.
“So long as there area shellfish closures of any kind on Dungeness Bay, it’s a black mark on our community.”
The affected shellfish areas were identified as part the department’s “Early Warning System,” which cites areas on the verge of failing public health.
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The rest of the story appears in Tuesday’s Peninsula Daily News.