The Puget Sound plan and goals regarding shellfish are very broad. 
These goals include protecting shellfish consumers from pathogens and 
other contaminants, including toxicants, maintaining and enhancing 
shellfish abundance, reopening closed/correctable* commercial shellfish 
beds and controlling sources of pollution to prevent additional closures 
of commercial and recreational beds. 
The plan affects mainly the DSHS, Ecology and local governments. It 
calls for greater coordination and planning among these and other 
agencies regarding shellfish resources and for reducing nonpoint source 
pollution. Ecology will continue to provide grants to local 
governmentsfor commercial shellfish protection as part of the nonpoint 
program, and DSHS will dramatically increase its commercial shellfish bed 
fecal coliform bacteria sampling program. In addition, DSHS will 
establish an ongoing program, based on the recent EPA-DSHS one-year 
study, to test for toxicants at both commercial and recreational beds. 
Beds which exceed FDA or other regionally accepted toxics action levels 
will be closed and re-evaluated. Additionally, DSHS, Ecology, and other 
state and local agencies will jointly develop a program to protect 
recreational shellfish beds from pollution. This program includes 
testing the clams and water for fecal coliform bacteria and closing and 
posting areas which do not meet commercial bed standards. These agencies 
will also initiate restoration and protection projects in contaminated or 
threatened areas. 
The PSWQA plan's nonpoint program is closely linked to its shellfish 
program and includes as its goal the reopening of certain commercial 
shellfish beds. This is to be achieved by local governments, with 
oversight by Ecology and the PSWQA, developing watershed action plans for 
controlling nonpoint source pollution. The local governments are 
responsible for addressing septic systems, animal keeping and pasture 
management practices as well as stormwater and other locally important 
nonpoint sources. These plans may seek voluntary or mandatory (depending 
on the preferences of the local government) compliance with programs to 
reduce nonpoint pollution to Puget Sound. Ecology and the PSWQA will 
audit these action plans every two years for the effectiveness of their 
nonpoint source reduction programs. If some of these programs are not 
effective in reducing nonpoint pollution, the PSWQA may include 
*Closed/correctable beds are those growing areas where Ecology has 
determined that improvements are possible; the term is applied to areas 
that are not intensively developed, do not have major or numerous sewage 
discharges, and where application of Ecology's shellfish protection 
program could lead to reopening beds. 
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