The state Department of Health and Environmental Control closed the area to clamming and oystering in 1995 after tests revealed heightened levels of fecal coliform, a bacteria that lives in the digestive tract of warm-blooded animals.

While fecal coliform does not cause sickness, its presence can be coupled with agents such as hepatitis, which can cause illness.

The drought the state has suffered from during the past few years likely contributed to reopening of the area, said Dave Payne, a DHEC shellfish sanitation manager.

Okatie River could be closed to shellfishing again if the area receives more rain because rainwater can carry bacterial into the river, he said.