With cleaner waters, restrictions eased on bay shellfishing

Warwick Beacon ·

Too much rain has been a bad thing for quahoggers for decades, but as it turns out one of the wettest Aprils on record actually was just what biologists were looking for to confirm that the hundreds of millions of dollars spent to reducing the flow of pollutants into Narragansett Bay is working.

It is on the basis of water quality tests made during April that the Department of Environmental Management announced Friday that an area of the bay stretching north from Warwick Point to Rocky Point and east to Colt State Park in Bristol – more than 3,700 acres – will no longer be subject to closure following storms recording one inch of rain or more. On average, according to Warwick shellfishermen, the area rich with quahogs is closed between 20 and 30 percent of the year. Now that the water is clean enough it will be always open. DEM also lifted seasonal restrictions on shellfishing in Greenwich Bay.

The announcement confirms reports of cleaner bay waters from fishermen, boaters and people living along the bay ever since the Narragansett Bay Commission brought online its system of tunnels to hold the combined wastewater and storm water until it could be properly treated. Prior to the system when treatment facilities were overwhelmed by storm water flow, the combination of sewage and storm water went directly into the bay after being chlorinated, if that.

That was a problem recognized in 1946 when the state divided the bay into areas where shellfish were considered unsafe for harvesting because of the higher levels of bacteria based on rain incidents. The closer to Providence the less rain it took to close an area until reaching Conimicut Point, where the waters are permanently closed.

Now, with reduced levels of bacteria, the lower section of the Providence River north of Conimicut could be opened to shellfishing on a conditional basis. Studies are being performed with the possibility of a decision next year.

Angelo Liberti, DEM chief of surface water protection, said Friday computer models showed the water quality improving prior to the investment made by the NBC to capture and treat the water that would otherwise flow untreated into the bay. He was wishful at the time and now those improvements have lived up to their expectation.

It is also good news to rate payers whose increased costs are bearing fruit.

Jamie Samons, NBC public affairs officer, pointed out that the entire state is benefiting from the investment of $365 million for the first and $220 million for the second phase of the three-phase project. Since 2001 the average annual rate for a customer has climbed from $140 to $500, which to a large measure reflects the additional debt the agency has taken on. The third and most costly phase at a projected $760 million would build holding tunnels to capture runoff that otherwise goes into the Seekonk and Blackstone Rivers that also eventually feed into the bay.

Samons said those plans are under review and the agency is seeking to delay implementation so that “we can retire some debt before we start phase 3.” The concern is hitting users with rates that become unsustainable. As it is now, she said, NBC rates are in “the middle of the bell curve” of other wastewater treatment operators. NBC is the state’s largest with 80,000 connections serving 360,000 people.

To those making their living from the bay, the prospect of additional waters opening north of Conimicut and lifting of the conditional status of a portion of the upper bay means more reliable and potentially increased harvest.

“We’re ecstatic, it’s a bit of a game changer,” Michael McGiveney, president of the Rhode Island Shellfishermens Association, said Friday. While pleased with clearer waters and the prospect of increased harvests, McGiveney said the fleet of quahoggers has basically remained static in spite of efforts to bring in new people through programs it runs and low-cost student licenses. Licenses aren’t required of those 65 years old and older.

McGiveney said the state has about 650 active shellfishermen. Out of a potential of 1,500 licenses about 800 have been issued, he said.

Warwick quahogger Jody King didn’t see the permanent opening of the Area B waters as significantly impacting his bottom line. In fact, he thinks without limitations the area won’t have the time “to set up” and, after an initial increase in harvests, it will taper off.

King is an advocate of the profession, finding satisfaction at being his own boss and at communion with nature. “My picture window is better than anybody else’s,” he said.

King estimated a “hard worker” can make between $50,000 and $60,000 a year.

According to the DEM, more than 100 million pounds of seafood arrived to a local port, with an export value over $1 billion. A significant contributor to Rhode Island’s commercial fishing industry, wild harvest shellfish support the livelihoods of hundreds of fishers year-round and provide nourishment and enjoyment to Rhode Islanders and tourists. More than 28 million quahogs were harvested from Narragansett Bay and local coastal waters last year, contributing some $5.5 million to the economy, a value that increases significantly as the product hits the market.

“The opening of these shellfishing areas is a heartening testimony to the progress in the cleanup of the bay and the result of years of effort by many, many partners, support from voters and significant investments by the state and many towns and citizens,” reads a statement released by Save the Bay.

In a statement, DEM director Janet Coit said, “Once overwhelmed by raw sewage and other pollution, today our bays, rivers and coastal waters are cleaner and healthier. The benefits of this to our environment, economy and families are immeasurable. As a result of strong laws and investments such as the combined sewer overflow project, fishers and families have expanded opportunities to harvest and enjoy delicious, wild shellfish. This is a momentous day for Rhode Island, a day we celebrate progress in restoring water quality and welcome shellfishermen back to historic waters.”

The area previously identified as Conditional Area B encompassed the waters north of a line from Warwick Point to the Providence Point on Prudence Island to Poppasquash Point in Bristol and south of Conditional Area A. The new Conditional Area A generally includes upper bay waters south of the Providence and Warren Rivers and north of a line from Rocky Point pier to Colt State Park pier.

Also effective as of Saturday at sunrise, the new Conditional Area A will close after 1.2 inches of rain. Previously, Conimicut Triangle waters closed at 0.5 inches, and Conditional Area A waters closed at 0.8 inches. A review of historic rainfall data indicates this change will likely increase shellfishing opportunities in the former Triangle area by 85 days annually, and the remaining waters by 35 days.