The Florida Department of Agriculture has issued a emergency closure of the oyster harvesting areas north of the Apalachicola Bridge after a damaged sewer line was discovered in the area

 The Florida Department of Agriculture has issued a emergency closure of the oyster harvesting areas north of the Apalachicola Bridge after a damaged sewer line was discovered in the area.

Area 1652, which is the conditionally approved summer north area of the bay, was already closed to oyster harvesting through the summer because of a lack of oysters in the area.

On Tuesday, however, the area was closed on an emergency basis because of a broken sewer line at the Sportsman's Lodge.

The problem was fixed as soon as it was discovered, and no water samples were taken to see if there was actually sewage in the water.

The Department of Agriculture said it will have to test meat samples from oysters in the area to make sure they are clean before the emergency closure can be ended.

Even after the emergency closure is lifted the area will remain off limits to oyster harvesters for the remainder of the summer season due to lack of oysters.

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