BOW - The show will go on Saturday, July 16, for the Samish Bay Low Tide Mud Run, despite a temporary freeze on shellfish harvesting in the area.
While it may not be safe to eat the shellfish recently harvested from the bay, the water is still fine for people to swim in and run near, said Bill Taylor, president of Taylor Shellfish Farms.
"With shellfish," Taylor said, "the water quality standards have to be very stringent, because of the way shellfish filter high concentrations of fecal coliform."
A buildup of the bacteria can make oysters and mussels unsafe to harvest and eat. But for Saturday's event, health officials believe the water is still safe for people to play in and around.
"There's always a risk when people are around natural water," said Corinne Story, environmental public health manager of the Skagit County Health Department. "But chances are, with the amount of time people are going to be in the water and around the mud, it should be fine."
Rainfall in the Samish River causes bacteria levels in the bay to rise. The contamination has a number of sources, including livestock, wildlife, pets and humans, according to the state Department of Ecology.
The most recent closure was a precaution in response to rising river levels, said Rick Haley, water quality analyst for Skagit County Public Works.
The mud run celebrates a shellfish industry that has been hit hard by harvesting closures: Samish Bay has already been closed to commercial and recreational harvesters for a total of more than five weeks this year.
The bay was closed to harvesters Thursday, July 14. The water was tested Friday, but results would not be available until late Friday, Haley said.
This will be the ninth annual Samish Bay Bivalve Bash & Low Tide Mud Run. It begins at 10 a.m. at 2182 Chuckanut Drive, near Bow. The event includes live music, oyster shucking competitions and two dashes through the mud - one for children and one for adults.
Only shellfish that were harvested on safe days will be shucked or eaten.
Signs will be posted directing people to offsite parking; free shuttle bus service will be offered from there. No pets or coolers are allowed.
The event is sponsored by Taylor Shellfish Farms.
