Shellfish Waters Sample Clauses

Shellfish Waters. Public health protection is the paramount concern when dealing with shellfish waters. Waters classified as shellfish waters are generally classified to protect commercially or recreationally harvestable shellfish resources. Where attainable, no discharges within a twenty-four hours travel time of these waters should be allowed. For discharges within a 24-72 hours travel time, evaluation of impacts on the use of shellfish waters should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Impacts of dischargers at a distance greater than 72-hours travel time is not normally expected to affect the designated use of such waters. For areas with existing dischargers that impact shellfish water, other alternatives should be considered. However, if the impacted waters have no existing or potentially harvestable shellfish resources to protect, then modification of the use classification itself should be considered. In situations where removal of existing dischargers is not attainable at the present time, use of variances, buffer zones, etc. can be used to retain the shellfish classification while providing appropriate regulatory relief.