July 9

Boaters are now prohibited from discharging boat sewage into Pleasant Bay and Chatham Harbor, along with the rest of Cape Cod Bay, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Pleasant Bay and Chatham Harbor areas joined a growing list of coastal regions where boaters must take on-board ship sewage to on-shore pumpout facilities.

The waters were granted the "No Discharge" protections by the EPA based on requests from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and the Pleasant Bay Resource Management Alliance.

"Protecting and enhancing the health of our environment is a core foundation of vibrant and prosperous communities," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA´s New England Office. "Especially on the Cape, where people vacation year after year, clean coastal water means more tourists visiting our towns and supporting our economy. Clean coastal water on the Cape means great beach days, bountiful shellfisheries and a resilient tourist economy."

The region affected by the ruling has an estimated 2,160 boats, of which 124 are large enough to have a head or toilet on board. There are three pumpout facilities in the area, the EPA said.

For more information on boat discharge prohibitions in New England, visit www.epa.gov/region1/eco/nodiscrg/index.html.

Contact Waste & Recycling News reporter Amanda Smith-Teutsch at 330-865-6166 or asmith-teutsch@crain.com

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