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News Release
RI Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462
For Release: August 27, 2008
Contact: Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402

DEM ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE RE-OPENING OF CONDITIONAL AREA A TO SHELLFISHING ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management announces that Conditional Area A in upper Narragansett Bay has been re-opened to shellfishing, effective immediately. The re-opening is based on acceptable results received this afternoon from monitoring tests measuring the levels of bacteria in the upper Bay.

The Department issued the immediate re-opening in an effort to be responsive to the shellfish industry. Labor Day weekend is economically important to commercial shellfishermen because of high consumer demand.

Yesterday's closure of Conditional Area A resulted from a failure of the chlorination system at the Narragansett Bay Commission's Fields Point Wastewater Treatment Facility that took place Monday night, which caused the discharge of over 500,000 gallons of treated sewage that was inadequately disinfected into the Providence River.

DEM maintains a 24-hour shellfishing hotline with recorded updated information on shellfish closure areas. That number is 222-2900.

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