DEP Applies for First No Discharge Zone Boat Sewage Discharges to be Prohibited in Manasquan River

New Jersey has applied for approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish the state’s first No Discharge Zone, which will prohibit boaters from discharging sewage into the Manasquan River. The proposal is the first in a series of planned applications for establishing No Discharge Zones for boats along New Jersey’s coast.

"Ridding our navigable waters of boat-related sewage is a key element in Governor Whitman’s strategy for protecting our water resources from nonpoint source pollution," said DEP Commissioner Robert C. Shinn, Jr. "The establishment of No Discharge Zones fits perfectly with the Governor’s commitment to watershed-based pollution management."

The DEP is working through its Clean Vessel Program and with local organizations on plans to extend the No Discharge Zone concept along the coast from Cape May to Raritan Bay. "Since the Clean Vessel Program was expanded last year, 15 marinas added pumpout stations and nearly 40 applications are underway that we hope will be completed during this boating season, bringing the total number of pumpout stations to approximately 100 statewide," Shinn said.

The number of sewage pumpout stations is critical to achieving the federal No Discharge Zone designation. There are now seven sewage pumpout facilities on the Manasquan and two portable toilet dump stations, which meet the estimated needs of the area for the No Discharge Area designation. In addition, all of the 26 marinas in the proposed No Discharge Area have public restrooms that are available to boaters.

The pumpout stations have a good geographic distribution, with four of the marinas located in Monmouth County and the remaining three facilities located in Ocean County. The four Monmouth County facilities include three in Brielle at the Brielle Marine Basin, Bogan’s Deep Sea Fishing Center and Brielle Yacht Club and one in the Borough of Manasquan at the Manasquan Municipal Marina.

The three Ocean County facilities include two in Brick Township at the Manasquan River Club and the Suburban Boatworks and Marina and one in Point Pleasant at the Crystal Point Yacht Club.

Three of the seven pumpout facilities were installed with funding provided by the Clean Vessel Act. These facilities are available to any boater requesting pumpout. Two of the other marinas with pumpout stations also have applied for Clean Vessel Act funding to renovate or add to their facilities.

Funding for the new facilities comes from state and federal grants administered by DEP’s Clean Vessel Program, which will supervise construction. Six of the seven preferred site marinas and three additional marinas have submitted applications to install pumpouts or renovate existing facilities.

The six marinas that have been approved to install or renovate facilities with Clean Vessel Act funds are: Brielle Yacht Club, Hoffman’s Marina in Brielle, Clark’s Landing in Point Pleasant, Garden State Marina in Point Pleasant Beach, Manasquan Marine Center in the Glimmer Glass area of Manasquan and the Manasquan River Club in Brick Township.

Upon completion, 11 of the 26 marinas in the area will have pumpout and/or portable toilet dump stations. A total of 18 facilities, including seven stationary pumpouts, six portable pumpouts and five portable toilet dump stations, will service the area.

The 23-mile long Manasquan River drains over 80 square miles in Monmouth County. Heavily used public bathing beaches are located immediately north and south of the Manasquan Inlet which is one of the busiest inlets on the eastern seaboard. Boating, fishing and clamming are common activities along the river, with more than 1,500 acres of shellfish waters and over 2,500 boats within the estuary.

If you have any questions regarding the Clean Vessel Program, please contact John Makai, Division of Fish and Game, at (609) 984-5546. Questions regarding No Discharge Zones may be directed to Robert Scro, Office of Environmental Planning, at (609) 633-3812.