THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 12, 1996 TAG: 9609120342
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DIANE TENNANT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 45 lines
The James River has been closed to shellfishing until bacteria-laden floodwaters, caused by Hurricane Fran, stop flowing downstream.
Few people will be affected by the closure, state officials said, because oyster season does not begin until early October. Clam relays - clams harvested in dirty water and moved to clean water before being sold - are unaffected by the action.
``When this kind of flooding event occurs and there's just so much flowing into the water, we just want to be safe and not put the public health at risk,'' said Deborah R. Kallgren, public affairs director for the Virginia Health Department.
The river is closed to shellfishing from Hog Island to the James River Bridge. The health department acted because flooding and raw sewage discharges in the river's headwaters sent bacteria and viruses downstream.
The health department expects the river to be closed for two to three weeks. It will not reopen until two consecutive water samples show acceptable bacteria levels.
``We'll hope that Mother Nature works with us and this slug of fresh water and flood water will move, and our bacteria levels will go back down,'' said Robert Wittman, deputy director of the health department's division of shellfish sanitation. ``We'll keep our fingers crossed and hope the next hurricane doesn't affect us.''
The only fishery affected is a small pocket of clean clams a short distance upriver from the James River Bridge, said Wilford Kale, spokesman for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Kale said only two or three boats had been working that bed. Fin fishing is not affected by the closure.
Relay clamming can continue because the shellfish are moved from dirty water to clean water, where they purge themselves of pollutants, Kallgren said.
The health department is keeping an eye on Hurricane Hortense, because more rainfall in the headwaters of the James could keep the river closed.
``We had a major thunderstorm up here yesterday (Tuesday) and that's going to increase the flow of water and the runoff,'' Kallgren said. ``If it keeps raining, it's likely that it will take longer to reopen the river. If we keep getting the flooding, it keeps washing the pollution into the river, and that's where the problems occur.''
The river was last closed because of flooding on Jan. 30. by CNB