Community Corner

Three Mile Harbor Temporarily Closes for Shellfishing

The DEC reminds boaters coming for the Great Bonac Fireworks to use pump-out facilities.

Three Mile Harbor in East Hampton will be temporarily closed to the shellfish harvesting due to the number of boats in the harbor for the Great Bonac Fireworks, which occur on Saturday.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said the harbor will be closed from sunrise on Saturday through Wednesday.

"The closure is put in place annually during the busy festivities to protect public health from potentially contaminated shellfish associated with increased boating activity in shellfishing waters," a statement from the DEC said.

The DEC said there is an increased potential for contamination of shellfish beds if there were discharges of sewage from the large number of recreational boats that gather in the harbor to watch the fireworks.

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"Discharges of fecal material from marine toilets may contaminate nearby shellfish, rendering the shellfish hazardous for human consumption," the DEC said.

Three Mile Harbor has been closed for the last 18 years from the day of the show and for four days after, according to the DEC.

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The DEC reminded boaters to use pump out facilities in the Peconic-
Gardiners Bay area, including Three Mile Harbor, because the area is a No-Discharge Zone. Discharges of treated or untreated boat sewage are prohibited.

The East Hampton Town Trustees have a pump-out boat and there is a self-serve facility on Gann Road in Springs. Both are free.

The town’s pump-out boat can be reached on marine radio VHF channel 73.

The harbor is expected that the harbor will be reopen to shellfishing on Thursday.

More information, including rain dates, early re-openings or extensions of closures will be made available at (631) 444-0480 or (631) 324-6393. 


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