The Clamshell Foundation's Great Bonac Fireworks Show over Three Mile Harbor is scheduled for Saturday at 9 p.m. with a rain date of Sunday. Because of the increase in boat traffic expected, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced the closure of Three Mile Harbor to shellfishing starting at sunrise on Saturday.
The show will feature a display by Fireworks by Grucci, set to a soundtrack by the radio host Brian Cosgrove that will be broadcast live on WLIW-FM 88.3 FM (88.7 in Montauk).
The Clamshell Foundation website lists recommended viewing locations as Maidstone Park, Sammy’s Beach, Gann Road, the beaches off Hand’s Creek Road and Springy Banks Road, and the head of Three Mile Harbor.
All the normally certified shellfish lands in Three Mile Harbor, including tributaries, lying south of a line extending due east from the northern end of the western jetty at the inlet of Three Mile Harbor, to the northern end of the eastern jetty, on the eastern side of the inlet, will be closed through Wednesday. The approximately 935-acre area includes the channel into the harbor.
The D.E.C. has closed the harbor to shellfishing on the day of the fireworks and for the following four days since 1993, as the annual display draws hundreds of boaters to the harbor, many of them remaining overnight. Possible discharges of waste from marine sanitation devices add to the potential for contamination of shellfish beds with pathogenic bacteria or viruses, rendering the shellfish unsafe for human consumption.
All of the Peconic-Gardiner’s Bay area, including Three Mile Harbor, is a no-discharge zone, a body of water designated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency where discharges of treated or untreated boat sewage are prohibited. Boaters are required to use pump-out facilities, and the town trustees operate a pump-out boat that can be reached by using marine radio VHF Channel 73 or calling 631-644-7162. The harbormaster’s office, at Gann Road, has a self-serve facility. Both are available at no cost to boaters.
Shellfish harvesting is expected to resume at sunrise next Thursday. The D.E.C. may rescind the closure and reopen the areas to harvesting sooner if the fireworks show is canceled or postponed because of inclement weather.
A recorded message advising the public of temporary closures of shellfishing areas is accessible 24 hours a day by calling 631-444-0480. The recorded message also advises harvesters when such areas have reopened. Information, including maps showing affected areas, is available on the D.E.C.’s website.
