Department of Environmental Management: 5,000 gallons of untreated sewage discharged into Mount Hope Bay

A warning is being issued after a terrible discovery.

According to Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, due to a sewage spill, all RI waters of Mt. Hope Bay (shellfish growing area 17) north of a line extending from the southernmost tip of Mt. Hope Point in Bristol east to the northern tip of Common Fence Point in Portsmouth are closed to shellfish harvest until further notice. This closure does not include the Kickemuit River (Growing Area 5).

On Friday morning, DEM was notified that approximately 5,000 gallons of untreated sewage was accidentally discharged from the Mt. Hope Pump Station and entered the waters of Mt. Hope Bay.

For more information on emergency and conditional area water quality related shellfish closures, call DEM’s 24-hour shell fishing hotline at 401-222-2900.

For more information on the shellfish harvesting classification, visit www.dem.ri.gov/shellfish