Seven community boat pumpout facilities were awarded matching grants through the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) for expansion and maintenance. Of $139,254 available statewide, Bristol will receive $86,487 for the purchase of a new pumpout boat in Bristol Harbor. The remainder of the grants ranged from $1,100 to $29,200.

The grants are funded under the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Clean Vessel Act (CVA) and support seven projects throughout Rhode Island waters. Since 1994, DEM has awarded more than $2.5 million in CVA Clean Vessel grants.

“Most of us know it’s not right to discharge wastewater directly from our boats into Narragansett Bay or the ocean. In fact, it’s illegal to pump waste within three nautical miles of the Rhode Island coast,” said DEM Director Terry Gray in a written statement. “DEM works with municipal and marine trades partners to prevent the discharge of boat sewage, which impairs water quality by introducing bacteria and other pathogens and chemicals that are harmful to humans and marine life. The support of the USFWS CVA helps accomplish this by subsidizing pumpout facilities that empower thousands of Rhode Island recreational boaters to do their part to keep the bay and our local waters clean, which are central to the Ocean State’s environment, way of life, and economy.”

The new boat is being manufactured by Bristol’s own C&C at a cost of $109,000. The Town anticipates taking delivery in late July or early August. Until then, the old boat remains up to the task of the 1,400-1,500 pumpouts a year performed on the harbor.

Boat sewage can threaten water quality by introducing bacteria and other pathogens, excess nutrients, and chemicals that are harmful to humans and marine life. In 1998, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to receive a statewide “no discharge” designation from the US Environmental Protection Agency that prohibits boaters from discharging sewage into local waterways.

Pumpout service is included in both transient and seasonal mooring fees.

“It’s offered free to keep the water clean,” said Harbor Master Gregg Marsilli, who noted that fees could potentially increase the risk that a boater might just opt to dump sewage in the harbor to save money. In addition, the State pays for pumpout boat maintenance. The only charge to the town is the labor of running the service, which is typically available 2 or 3 days a week.

There are currently 63 marine sanitation pump-out facilities operating in RI waters – 48 dockside pumpout facilities and 15 pump-out boats. In addition to the pumpout boat, Bristol offers two dockside pumpout stations that are free for boaters to use — one on the fuel dock and one on the Rockwell Park dock.