EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announced Tuesday that several shellfish harvesting areas in Narragansett Bay have been closed due to excessive rainfall.
Torrential downpours on Monday caused significant street flooding in and around Providence. Major roadways including I-95 and Route 10 had to be shut down because they were completely underwater.
The excessive rainfall also caused significant runoff and numerous combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges into the bay, according to the DEM. The runoff can contaminate the water and increase the bacteria levels, making it unsafe to harvest shellfish.
As a result, the following shellfishing areas are closed, but the DEM expects them to reopen at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 13:
- Greenwich Bay
- Mount Hope Bay
- Kickemuit River
- West Middle Bay
These areas are also closed, with the expectation they’ll reopen at noon on Friday, Sept. 16:
- Upper Narragansett Bay area A
- Upper Narragansett Bay area B
- Lower Providence River area E
