Total acreage of local waters closed seasonally or year-round to shellfish harvesting has dropped slightly since 2024.
A compilation of local condemned areas, as maintained by the Virginia Department of Health, found 6,603 acres of local waterways under seasonal or year-round restriction. The total in 2024 was 6,800 acres.
Figures rise and fall following annual evaluations water quality by employees of the state Division of Shellfish Safety. They test for the presence of fecal coliform in the water; if the level is too high, restrictions are placed on the waterways.
Gloucester County’s total area of restricted waters as of July 1 was 2,769, an increase of about 80 acres in 12 months.
In Mathews, the bottom line was also slightly higher, by 41 acres.
Big declines in condemned acreage in waters shared between Gloucester County with King and Queen, and also Gloucester and Middlesex, accounted for the drop.
The Division of Shellfish Safety and Waterborne Hazards explains on its website tha...