The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management announced Wednesday that due to the increased risk of accidental or illicit discharges of sewage from hundreds of boats gathering off Prudence Island that is expected this weekend, DEM is once again preemptively closing 700 acres of shellfish grounds on the north end of the island. The precautionary closure is from sunrise on July 27 until sunrise on August 3 and extends from the shoreline and all waters south and west of a line from Providence Point to the northwest extension of Warner Avenue on Prudence Island.
" The Aquapalooza gathering – an unaffiliated, social media-driven event – is necessitating the precautionary closure. The annual event typically draws more than 1,000 boats and personal watercraft. With so many boats concentrated in such a small area for hours, federal and state public health guidance requires that the shellfish harvest area, which includes Potter’s Cove and adjacent waters, be closed to protect public health," DEM said in a release.
DEM said that although most recreational boaters follow Rhode Island’s “No Discharge” law , a high concentration of vessels increases the chances of accidental or illicit discharge of sewage into shellfish waters. The precautionary closure will provide a sufficient volume of water and time for the dilution of inadvertently discharged sewage before the area is reopened to shellfishing. There are currently 15 pump-out boats and 59 facilities located across Narragansett Bay and RI coastal waters. However, these facilities are not routinely in operation along the undeveloped north shore of Prudence Island. Some 40,000 boats are registered in Rhode Island, and the state welcomes many thousands more visiting boats each year. Last year, a total volume of over 600,000 gallons of sewage was pumped out at these facilities and diverted from directly entering Rhode Island’s coastal waters. Visit DEM’s website for a map of marine pumpout facilities in Rhode Island.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: DEM makes it official, plans shellfishing closure off Prudence Island due to Aquapalooza
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