Sunday, February 12, 2006

Waters Near Morehead to Reopen for Oyster Harvests

Hundreds of acres of coastal waters have been closed to oyster harvesting in the last few years due to increased pollution levels. Rarely do these closed areas reopen. For the first time in a long time, North Carolina waters that had been closed for shellfish harvesting due to problems with water quality are being reopened. The Shellfish Sanitation Section of the NC Division of Environmental Health last week was working out the final details to reopen 209 acres of shellfish waters in the North River and Wards Creek area near Morehead City. Back in 2004 the areas had to be closed but recent testing has showed a continued trend toward healthier waters. Officials are not entirely sure what has caused the marked improvement in area waters, but large new subdivisions in the area that had significant runoff problems in 2003 have now regrown their vegetation and over 500 acres of local farm land have been restored to wetlands. In addition, the Shellfish Sanitation Section has also been diligently working to correct problems with poorly designed septic systems near the shoreline and violations of stormwater runoff policies. This is a wonderful turn of events and shows that all the little pieces we all contribute can help improve North Carolina's coast. More on this story is available from the Jacksonville Daily News.

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