Lagoon Pond remains closed to shellfishing after a sewage leak was discovered near the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Oak Bluffs wastewater facilities manager Patrick Hickey told The Times the leak was first reported by hospital employees who noticed water coming up through cracks in the hospital parking lot pavement on Jan. 24.
Oak Bluffs wastewater employees determined that the leak was triggered by a small break in the town’s sewer system. It was repaired shortly after discovery.
State officials estimated 7,000 to 9,000 gallons of sewage were discharged.
Because of the proximity to Lagoon Pond, the Department of Marine Fisheries decided to close most of the Lagoon to shellfishing for a minimum of 21 days, per the National Shellfish Sanitation Program regulations.
Oak Bluffs shellfish constable Donovan McElligatt told The Times the closure area “has not expanded or contracted” since the issuance of the emergency shutdown in January.
Closed areas of the Lagoon are set to reopen Feb. 15, contingent upon testing by the state.
State virologists will be testing for the presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli), among other bacteria and contaminants.
Those results will determine “whether or not the Lagoon meets the threshold to be opened again, or whether it will remain closed for a longer duration for continued flushing,” McElligatt said.