Bristol Harbor closed to shellfish harvesting - ABC6 - Providence, RI and New Bedford, MA News, Weather

Bristol Harbor closed to shellfish harvesting

By News Staff

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BRISTOL, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island environmental officials say that all of Bristol Harbor is closed to shellfish harvesting until further notice because of possible water contamination.

The Department of Environmental Management says the town reported that an electrical system failure caused a loss of disinfection fluid from the sewage wastewater treatment plant. The state says an estimated 1.4 million gallons of effluent didn't get disinfected and was discharged into Walker Cove.

The electrical system failure happened sometime Thursday night or early Friday, and DEM is investigating. The facility is again operating normally.

Environmental officials say they are collecting water samples to test for fecal coliform bacteria levels.

Based on the test results the state will decide how long the closure to shellfishing should be in effect.