An emergency shellfish advisory remains in affect for Freeport and Harpswell as shorelines recover from recent heavy rain.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources issued an emergency shellfish notice on Aug. 4, closing harvesting along the coastline from Freeport to Harpswell. Though labeled an emergency, the DMR said the closure is routine and was prompted by over 2 inches of rainfall within a 24-hour period.

A spokesperson for DMR said the closures were precautionary to avoid potential contamination by storm runoff. Storm runoff can potentially carry fecal coliform — a type of bacteria — from land into coastal waters where shellfish feed, the DMR said.

“Shellfish can accumulate that bacteria and become unsafe to consume, so we close areas that experience 2 or more inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period until our water quality monitoring program determines that it is safe to reopen because bacterial concentrations have declined to levels that are safe,” a spokesperson said.

The boundary of the advisory begins at Flying Point in Freeport and runs east toward the northern point of Upper Goose Island. The boundary then dips southeast to the opposite shore at Lookout Point Road in Harpswell.

Under this notice, DMR deems it illegal to take or possess any aquaculture harvests such as clams, quahogs or oysters.

Once a closure is put in place, the DMR waits 48 hours and then begins collecting samples, giving time for the initial bacterial pollution to dilute in the water. Samples are brought to the regional testing facility — in this case, the regional lab in Boothbay — for testing. It then continues sampling daily until the closure is lifted.

The rain advisory follows a campylobacteriosis bacterial contamination that prompted a shutdown of two harvesting sites in Freeport. The FDA issued a warning over oysters that were harvested from the site late July.

The outbreak was likely a result of “contamination from birds,” the DMR said in its notice, and not the fault of the business leasing the harvest sites. The DMR confirmed last week that the impacted sites from the bacterial contamination would remain closed as it conducted sampling and came up with a plan with the lease-holder to prevent further contamination.