New York project shows how oysters clean water

I am writing to respond to a recently published letter to the editor by Sandy Claire regarding the cleanliness of the water near the former oyster farm in Drakes Estero at Point Reyes National Seashore. Claire doubts that the farm had anything to do with it. I doubt Claire is correct.

Though I serve on the Ross Valley Sanitary District Board of Directors as well as the Central Marin Sanitation Board of Commissioners, these are my personal views.

The best example of oysters benefitting the coast is in New York Harbor, where the water is the cleanest in more than 100 years. That is due to much work by sanitation agencies, the city, state and other local governments, but it’s also greatly due to the Billion Oyster Project.

From the project website: “Oysters filter water as they eat, which helps clarify the water and remove certain pollutants, including nitrogen. This is very important to a marine ecosystem, because excessive nitrogen triggers algal blooms that deplete the water of oxygen and create ‘dead zones.’”

Massive oyster reef systems in New York Harbor were once a natural defense against storm damage — softening the blow of large waves, reducing floods and preventing erosion.

I’d like to see our Bay Area sanitation agencies and state water agencies work together to pay an homage to the work in New York by beginning work on its own “billion oysters” project to do for the Bay Area what has been done in NY.