Basin waters still closed to clam harvesting

Results of water samples taken Tuesday came back today about noon and still showed contamination, says Rick Young, an official in Dartmouth with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

The samples were taken about three days after a second recent spill from Digby’s sewage treatment facility.

Shellfish harvesting, which at this time of year means clams, has been prohibited in most of the Basin since May 17 when a heavy downpour of rain resulted in an accidental discharge of untreated wastewater from the Digby facility.

Zone two in the Basin was re-opened May 29 after tests showed a decrease in levels of bacteriological contamination, but a second heavy rainstorm two days later prompted a second closure of the zone.

Zone three, the Pony Road-Queen Anne Marsh area of the eastern Basin, was opened for clams that are then treated in a depuration plant.

Zone one, which includes the Digby area waters, was still heavily contaminated even before the second spill.

The Basin appears to be slow in flushing out contamination, evidence that the Environment Canada modeling of the area is correct, Young suggested. While water quality is improving, the critical element is food safety in the shellfish stock.

About 115 clam diggers are active in the Basin, according to DFO figures.