Shellfish Farms Cleared To Reopen After Sewage Spill In Marin's Tomales Bay

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Shellfish farms in Tomales Bay, including Hog Island Oyster Co., have been cleared to reopen after a sewage spill prompted state regulators to close the bay’s shellfish-growing areas earlier this month, officials stated Monday.

The California Department of Public Health announced Wednesday it closed all shellfish-growing areas in Tomales Bay, along with wet-storage intakes, after sewage entered Olema Creek.

Marin County Environmental Health Services responded Oct. 9 to reports of a sewage spill at Due West Hotel and tavern in Olema. Inspectors discovered a septic system leak connected to a drainage pipe leading into the creek.

The leak was promptly capped, county officials said. Further inspections and repairs to the septic system were expected to follow.

The closure affected Hog Island Oyster Co., whose flagship farm is in Marshall along Tomales Bay. The company suspended harvesting after receiving the state's closure notice and initiated a voluntary, precautionary market withdrawal of shellfish harvested from its Tomales Bay growing areas between Sept. 14 and Oct. 12.

The company said previously that no illnesses or customer complaints had been reported and described the withdrawal as a precaution rather than a recall.

“The health and safety of our customers has always been our highest priority,” said Hog Island CEO John Finger.

The company said it would resume harvesting only with state authorization. Under standard protocols described in the earlier report, the closure could last 21 days unless water-quality testing showed harvesting could safely resume sooner.