http://kplu.org en http://kplu.org/post/water-quality-improving-puget-sound-shellfish <p>Good news for those who love local oysters and clams: the state<a href="http://www.doh.wa.gov/Home.aspx"> Department of Health</a> says there&rsquo;s been a steady improvement in water quality for nearly a decade, leading to fewer closures of shellfish beds in Puget Sound.</p><p>The key measure is of fecal coliform bacteria, which lives in human and animal waste. Runoff from farms and leaky sewage systems carries the bacteria and contaminates shellfish beds. People who eat the polluted shellfish can get sick.</p> Thu, 21 Jun 2012 23:33:14 +0000 Bellamy Pailthorp 5370 at http://kplu.org Water quality improving for Puget Sound shellfish http://kplu.org/post/washington-poised-get-tougher-shellfish-operators <p>http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kplu/local-kplu-955155.mp3</p><p><i>This story has been updated to correct the dollar amount the state believes to have been poached. </i></p><p>Last summer, we brought you a story about gaps in the system that&#39;s supposed to keep Washington shellfish safe to eat. Now state lawmakers appear ready to get tougher with shellfish operators who violate food safety laws.</p><p> Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:48:15 +0000 Austin Jenkins and KPLU News Staff 902 at http://kplu.org Washington poised to get tougher with shellfish operators