In response to a massive sewage spill, Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is temporarily halting shellfish harvesting in the Delaware Bay.
While Kent County Public Works was conducting emergency repairs near Postlethwait Middle School, a back-up occurred, affecting a sewage pump station in Dover, which then discharged hundreds of thousands of gallons of untreated wastewater into the St. Jones River. This prompted concerns because the river empties into the Delaware Bay, where licensed fishermen can harvest oysters, clams and mussels commercially and recreationally.
State environmental scientist Michael Bott said the spill has stopped, but federal guidelines require the state to suspend all oyster, clam and mussel harvests for 21 days.
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