Vessel Discharge
of Sewage
Education
Summary
Provide educational information about the pumpout service to customers.
Many boaters are unaware of current state and federal regulations that require the use of properly operating marine sanitation devices, or how their on-board system works. Marinas can act as the most efficient source of accurate information to boaters. Even if you do not currently have a pumpout station, let boaters know where the nearest facility is located. Methods for sharing information about pumpouts and MSD regulations are numerous and can include:
1. Pamphlets and Flyers-There is a great deal of information being produced by the government and many nonprofit organizations that can be handed out at your facility, perhaps in the ship's store or at the fuel/pumpout dock. Most of the information is free and carries no copyright. Some sources for pumpout information include:
Coastal Resource Management Council: Stedman Government Center, Tower Hill Road, Wakefield, RI 02879 (401-277-2476)
State Department of Environmental Management, Division of Water Resources, or Narragansett Bay Project: 291 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908. (Water Resources, 401-277-3961; Narragansett Bay Project, 401- 277-3165)
RI Sea Grant, University of Rhode Island Bay Campus, Narragansett, RI 02882-1197 (401-792-6842). Fact Sheets available on-line.
US Coast Guard, Marine Safety Office, 20 Risho Avenue, East Providence, RI 02914 (401-435-2300)
US EPA Region I, Waters Program: J. F. K Federal Building, Boston, MA 02203-2211 (617-565-3420)
Save the Bay: 434 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908 (401-272-3540)
International Marina Institute: 35 Steamboat Avenue, Wickford, RI 02852 (401-294-9558)
RI Marine Trade Association: (401-885-5044)
Local Harbormaster
2. Newsletter-If you provide a newsletter to your customers, perhaps you could consider a section highlighting different steps you are taking to improve the environment. This is also a great way to advertise the pumpout service and could be distributed to boaters who are not customers.
3. Inserts-Billing statements provide an opportunity to let your customers know about your pumpout service.
4. Meetings-Once a pumpout station is installed, consider hosting a meeting for your tenants and other boaters to explain the services and rules relating to the MSDs and pumpout stations. A demonstration of how cleanly and efficiently a pumpout operates may make people more likely to use it. Your local harbormaster or Coast Guard Auxiliary/Power Squadron unit should be able to assist you in conducting meetings.
5. Inspections-Consider offering an additional service to your customers by inspecting their existing MSDs and correcting any problems that may lead to improper operations. This could become another step in the winterization or spring commissioning process. Providing holding tank installation services will also help boaters easily comply with new no-discharge laws.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary is also available to conduct free boating safety inspections, which include a check of the MSD and overboard discharge valve.
6. Slip leasing agreement-You can use your tenant contracts to inform boaters about the use of the pumpout station. Although having no legal authority to enforce state laws, marinas can declare themselves no-discharge marinas and require tenants to use pumpout stations and ensure that Y valves are sealed to prevent incidental overboard discharge. In most facilities with these requirements, the penalty for discharging within the facility is expulsion.
There are other ways to help the boater understand the value in using a pumpout station and having a properly operating MSD. It is also important to have any member of the staff who will be operating the pumpout understand state and federal laws pertaining to MSDs and pumpout stations. This will enable them to answer questions that boaters may have.