Sewage leak closes Tomales Bay shellfish beds, and Hog Island pulls 200,000 oysters
State health officials closed all shellfish growing beds in Tomales Bay on October 12 after a septic leak at an Olema hotel property reached Olema Creek. Hog Island Oyster Co. says its voluntary withdrawal of 200,000 oysters is not a recall, and no illnesses have been reported.
MARSHALL: All shellfish growing beds in Tomales Bay are closed, and Hog Island Oyster Co. has withdrawn 200,000 oysters, after a sewage spill at a hotel property in Olema reached Olema Creek, according to Marin County officials and reports published on October 15 by People and the New York Post.
The California Department of Public Health announced on October 12 that it had shut all shellfish growing beds in Tomales Bay, according to Marin County officials cited by People. The New York Post reported that the department also temporarily closed wet storage intakes throughout the bay. The bay, in western Marin County, is known for oysters and other shellfish served locally and shipped across the country, People reported.
A septic leak, a cracked drain, and a capped pipe
The spill happened on October 9 at Olema House, the Olema hotel property that includes the Due West Tavern, the New York Post reported. A fault in the septic drainage system sent sewage into nearby Olema Creek, which drains into Tomales Bay, according to the county account in the Post report. Marin County Environmental Health Services found a septic system leak and a drainage pipe connected to the creek after reports of a spill at the property, and the leak was promptly capped, according to the county statement cited by People.
People reported that National Park Service staff reported the issue during routine monitoring of Olema Creek, citing the county statement. Olema House general manager Fran Caiazzo told SFGATE that a cracked storm drain caused the spill, that the county was testing water near the hotel, and that the hotel was working closely with Environmental Health Services, according to the Post. The Post also reported that hotel operations were not affected.
Greg Pirie, the deputy director of Marin County Environmental Health Services, told SFGATE that the sewage release was stopped on October 9 and that the county is working with the property owner and a contractor on repairs to the septic system, which will not be operational until the repairs are finished, according to the Post. In the county statement cited by People, Pirie called the episode a reminder for property owners, businesses and residents to check their septic systems ahead of the storm season.
Not a recall, the company says
Hog Island, which farms oysters in the bay at Marshall and operates restaurants and farm tours, said it withdrew the 200,000 oysters and temporarily halted farming operations, the Post reported. In a statement on its website, the company stressed, "This is not a recall," and said it was acting out of an abundance of caution, according to People. The company said no illnesses or complaints had been reported, and that the state health department had issued no consumer advisory, People reported.
Other bay businesses are waiting out the closure. Nick's Cove, a hotel and restaurant on the bay, will not serve oysters farmed in the bay until the state health department says it is safe to do so, general manager Wade Nakamine told SFGATE, according to the Post. Restaurants in the area told SFGATE they would source oysters from other locations until Tomales Bay shellfish can be harvested again, People reported.
For now, the closure has no published end date in the reports. The state closure took effect October 12, repairs at the Olema property were still underway when the October 15 reports were published, and no illnesses had been reported in connection with the spill, according to both reports.
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