A sewage leak from a hotel and restaurant site in Olema has halted oyster harvesting across Tomales Bay, disrupting a major source of jobs, tourism and income in western Marin County.
The California Department of Public Health closed all Tomales Bay shellfish-growing areas and wet-storage intakes after sewage entered Olema Creek, which flows into the bay.
Marin County Environmental Health Services responded on Friday, October 9, after the National Park Service reported the problem during routine monitoring. Inspectors found a leak in the septic system serving the Olema Hotel and Due West Restaurant, along with a drainage pipe connected to the creek.
The leak was capped, but further inspections and repairs to the wider septic system were still expected. County officials said follow-up water sampling would be carried out to establish whether sewage had dispersed and whether bacteria levels had returned to safe limits.
Tomales Bay oyster harvest suspended
Hog Island Oyster Co, one of the bay’s major shellfish producers, suspended harvesting and shipping from Tomales Bay after being notified of the closure. It also voluntarily withdrew about 200,000 oysters harvested between September 14 and October 12 as a precaution.
The company said the withdrawal was not a recall and that no illnesses or customer complaints had been reported. It has continued supplying its restaurants with oysters from Humboldt Bay and other certified growing areas.
Hog Island chief executive John Finger said the company would resume harvesting only when all required safety standards had been met. The company has said the standard closure period is 21 days, although satisfactory testing could allow harvesting to restart between October 19 and 21; otherwise, the closure could remain in place until October 30.
Marin County said it had received no reports of adverse effects on people or wildlife. Other shellfish businesses in the area have also been affected, with restaurants turning to oysters from outside the bay while state regulators assess the water quality.
