Update - April 23, 2015 - A section of Northport Bay, in the Town of Huntington, will reopen for the harvest of shellfish, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today. All the normally certified areas of eastern Northport Bay will reopen at sunrise on Friday, April 24.

DEC had implemented a precautionary closure of approximately 922 acres in eastern Northport Bay on Tuesday, April 21, following a raw sewage bypass from a damaged pipe serving the Village of Northport Wastewater Treatment Plant. The bypass released untreated waste water into Northport Harbor. The Village of Northport reported that the broken pipe was repaired before 11 p.m. on Tuesday.

DEC's decision to reopen the area came after staff examined water samples collected in Northport Bay and Northport Harbor on Wednesday, April 22. The test results showed that water quality in the bay is suitable for the harvest of shellfish for human consumption.

A recorded message advising harvesters of the status of areas affected by temporary closures is available to shellfish harvesters by calling DEC's Shellfish Closure Information Line at (631) 444-0480. The message is updated during the course of temporary closures. For more detailed descriptions of areas affected by emergency closures, call DEC's office of Marine Resources during normal business hours at (631) 444-0492. Additionally, information about temporary shellfish closures is available on DEC's website.

Below is the original release on the temporary closure.

Northport, NY - April 21, 2015 - Shellfishing areas in eastern Northport Bay, in the Town of Huntington, have been designated as uncertified (closed) for shellfish harvesting effective Tuesday, April 21, 2015, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today. DEC implemented this temporary closure due to a sewage bypass from a pipe serving the Village of Northport Wastewater Treatment Plant. The bypass released untreated waste water into Northport Harbor earlier today.

Effective at 2 p.m. EDT today, and continuing until a determination is made that conditions no longer exist that may make shellfish hazardous for use as food, the following areas are designated as uncertified and the harvest of shellfish is prohibited until further notice:

Town of Huntington: All that area of Northport Bay lying easterly of a line extending northerly from Little Neck Point (Centerport) to Duck Island Point (Asharoken).

This action affects approximately 922 acres of shellfishing area in eastern Northport Bay and is necessary to protect the public health. Untreated sewage carries high levels of pathogenic bacteria and viruses. When water quality in the enclosed harbors and bays is adversely affected by sewage, shellfish in those areas have an increased potential to be hazardous for use as food.

DEC will re-open areas as soon as possible based on the results of water quality testing to be conducted on samples that will be collected from the affected area. A recorded message advising harvesters of the status of these shellfish areas may be heard at (631) 444-0480. The message will be updated during the course of the temporary closures. For a more detailed description of the closed areas, call DEC's office of Marine Resources during normal business hours at (631) 444-0492. Additionally, information about temporary shellfish closures is available on DEC's website.