BRISTOL – A week after a Fall River circuit breaker failure discharged 10 million gallons of partially treated wastewater into Mount Hope Bay, water quality tests indicate that impacted areas could reopen to shellfish harvesting on May 1.
On April 23, the R.I. Department of Environmental Management announced that a circuit breaker failure in Fall River had released the wastewater into the “Growing Area 17” section of Mount Hope Bay, which borders Bristol, Warren, Portsmouth and Tiverton, as well as the Kickemuit Area (Growing Area 5). As a precautionary measure, DEM said, these areas were closed down to shellfish harvesting. No other activies were prohibited.
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Results from water testing carried out on April 24 show low counts for the bacteria found in sewage, DEM spokesperson Mike Healey said in a statement sent to PBN on Thursday.
But rain forecasted over the weekend could potentially delay the reopening to May 8, Healey said, noting that more than a half-inch of rainfall or more could push back the reopening.
Aside from the shellfish harvesting closure, Healey said that the DEM doesn’t expect the spill will have lingering affects on the bay. The wastewater was composed of 60% partly treated stormwater and 40% partly treated sewage wastewater, Healey said on Wednesday, and by mid-week had likely diffused into the Atlantic Ocean.
“DEM believes the chances that the Fall River wastewater treatment plant’s release will have long-term impacts are very low,” Healey said in a statement. “Available data indicates that the partly treated wastewater that was released was mainly stormwater.
“Mount Hope Bay is an estuary that’s powered by tide,” Healey continued. “Between tidal action, current, and winds, the partly treated stormwater and wastewater that was released is by now significantly diluted and being further dispersed by each tidal cycle.”
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
