OLYMPIA – The state Department of Ecology has scheduled a pair of hearings in January, including one in South Bend to consider a permit allowing commercial shellfish growers to continue to use the herbicide imazamox to control non-native eel grass in Willapa Bay.

The department said that based on new scientific research and data, it is updating an existing, active permit allowing use of the herbicide.

The growers requested the permit from Ecology several years ago because the non-native eel grass, Zostera japonica, is a weed that makes it difficult to grow and harvest clams.

When Ecology issued the permit in 2014, it required the growers to study and verify that a 10-meter unsprayed buffer around the treatment area adequately protects native eelgrass and water quality.

The study results show the application method is working as intended and confines the herbicide impact to the applied area, the department said, and the department has updated the permit based on the new data.

Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and state departments of Fish & Wildlife and Natural Resources reviewed the study data and did not recommend changes to the buffer, Ecology said in a news release.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, imazamox is practically non-toxic for mammals, fish, birds and invertebrates. EPA does not believe it poses a hazard to public health in or on food products.

This permit is specifically tailored for commercial clam beds in Willapa Bay only.

Before the updates to the active permit become official, the public has the opportunity to review and comment on them through Feb. 3.

Two public hearings are scheduled; the first at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, at the Department of Ecology in Lacey, and the second at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Willapa Harbor Community Center in South Bend.

Visit Ecology’s website or contact Nathan Lubliner at nathan.lubliner@ecy.wa.gov. for more information.