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News from everywhere *but* Central New Hampshire.

Water Quality Impact from Portsmouth Treatment Plant Closes Some Shellfish Areas

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is seasonally closing some areas to shellfish harvesting in Little Bay and the Bellamy River due to recent findings about the water quality impacts of Portsmouth wastewater treatment plant. 

The waters of the Bellamy River and Lower Little Bay will be closed seasonally to recreational and commercial shellfish harvesting for the next two years from October to the end of March.

The closure goes into effect on Oct. 7. The areas will reopen on April 1, 2017, weather permitting.

The department says the Upper Little Bay areas will still be open to commercial and recreational shellfish harvesting and those areas will be expanded in January.

 
The city of Portsmouth is in the process of a major upgrade for its wastewater treatment plant on Peirce Island. It began wo years ago. The estimated $74 million project is scheduled to be completed in 20202.

Credit City of Portsmouth
Portsmouth's map of the Peirce Island treatment plant project.

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