Category:Water Type: News Source: EPA Date: Friday, April 11th, 2008
(Boston, Massachusetts - April 11, 2008) - E.P.A. is formally proposing to approve the Massachusetts designation of the Scituate, Marshfield and Cohasset harbors as a "No Discharge" area. If approved, this status means that discharges of treated and untreated boat sewage would be prohibited within Massachusetts state waters.
The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management has petitioned E.P.A. to approve the No Discharge designation. E.P.A. has in turn published the request in the Federal Register and will accept public comments on the suggestion for 30 days, until May 12.
"The request by the state to designate the Scituate, Marshfield and Cohasset harbors as a no discharge area is an important step towards improving coastal water quality in New England waters," said Robert Varney, regional administrator of EPA's New England office.
To quality for a No Discharge designation, the applicant must show there are enough "pumpout" facilities where boaters can get their sewage holding tanks pumped out. This particular area has an estimated 3,000 boats, of which only 1,363 are large enough to have a "head" or toilet on board. There are a total of 10 pumpout facilities in the suggested area, 4 fixed shore-based facilities, 3 portable facilities, and 3 pumpout boats. In addition, there are 2 pending pumpout facilities which should be operational in the summer of 2008. There are approximately 8 marinas and docking areas, and 5 public boat ramps.
Boat sewage can lead to health problems for swimmers, closed shellfish beds and the overall degradation of marine habitats. The 3 towns' harbors are adjacent to the Plymouth area, which was designated as a No Discharge area in 2006.
The towns of Scituate, Marshfield, and Cohasset initiated the No Discharge Area designation process in the summer of 2007 to safeguard local marine resources. Massachusetts CZM held an informational meeting in the area where staff presented an overview of the suggested area for designation, outlined the designation process, described the beneficial environmental impacts of establishing the No Discharge Area and received input from the public.
Other areas in New England with No Discharge areas include: All state marine waters of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire; in Massachusetts: Harwich, Waquoit Bay, Nantucket Harbor, Wellfleet, Barnstable, and Buzzards Bay (including Wareham and Westport), Plymouth/Duxbury Kingston area; and Casco Bay, Maine.
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