Shellfish harvesting areas reopened

State environmental officials Saturday rescinded the emergency closures of some shellfish harvesting areas in Nassau and Suffolk counties that were made following heavy rain last week.

Runoff from roads and local waters can contaminate shellfish with bacteria and pathogens, making them unsafe to eat.

Saturday's reopening was based on test results from samples collected on Thursday and Friday that showed fecal coliform levels were "consistent with certified shellfishing areas," the state Department of Environmental Conservation said in a news release.

James J. Gilmore, chief of the Bureau of Marine Resources, lifted the ban in the following normally certified shellfishing waterways:

Town of Oyster Bay: Oyster Bay Harbor and Cold Spring Harbor.

Town of Huntington: Northport Bay, Duck Island Harbor, Centerport Harbor, Lloyd Harbor, Huntington Bay and Cold Spring Harbor.

Town of Smithtown: Stony Brook Harbor.

Town of Brookhaven: Stony Brook Harbor, Port Jefferson Harbor, Mount Sinai Harbor and in Patchogue Bay and Bellport Bay east of Blue Point.

Town of East Hampton: Three Mile Harbor, Hog Creek, Acabonac Harbor, Napeague Harbor, Montauk Harbor (Montauk Lake) and Northwest Harbor.

Additional sampling is planned Monday in areas that remained closed under Tuesday's emergency closure order.

For more information, call the DEC at 631-444-0480.