DEEP awards nearly $69,000 in marine sewage grants to towns

HARTFORD — Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will disburse $997,188 in funding for the 2018 boating season to 43 marine facilities under the annual Federal Clean Vessel Act program, including several in Middlesex County.

Four of the 43 grant recipients will receive funding for the construction of new or replacement pumpout stations or boats and the remaining monies are for the continued operation and maintenance of landbased and mobile pumpout boats, according to a press release.

In an effort to improve water quality in navigable waterways within Connecticut, this program, managed through the DEEP’s Boating Division, provides federally funded matching grants for qualifying projects that provide recreational boat sewage disposal facilities known as pump-outs, the release continues.

“With the support of Connecticut boaters and pump-out facility operators, we continue to exceed our previous volume of waste removal under this program,” DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee said in a prepared statement. “With all of Long Island Sound designated a ‘no discharge zone,’ the goal is to keep building on this successful program to keep our waters clean and healthy, and to continue providing excellent water-based recreational opportunities in Connecticut.”

While the volume for the 2017 boating season is not yet available, the past several years have shown an increase in boater usage of this program with the volume of waste captured and kept out of the water, now topping 1 million gallons a year. This is keeping Long Island and Fishers Island Sounds, and their tributaries, cleaner and more enjoyable for boating, swimming, and fishing and improving the overall ecological health of these important waterways.

Municipality Grant Awards

Cedar Island Marina for one pump-out vessel and one stationary facility Clinton, $36,602.94

Town of Essex for three pump-out vessels, Chester, Deep River, Essex, Haddam, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, $96,858

Pilots Point Marina for four stationary facilities and three pump-out vessels, Westbrook, $54,787.50

New construction/upgrade projects

Yankee Boatyard and Marina for one portable facility and purchase/installation of a replacement motor, Portland $4,175

Pumpout Operation and Maintenance

Brewer Deep River Marina for one stationary facility and one portable facility, Deep River, $16,382.17

Brewer Ferry Point Marina for one stationary facility, Old Saybrook, $774.38

Chrisholm Marina for one stationary facility and one portable facility, Chester, $6,671.87

Clinton Yacht Haven Dockominium Asociation for one stationary facility, Clinton, $4,256.25

Hays Haven Marina for one stationary facility and one dump station Chester, $3,645

Portland Boat Works for one stationary facility, Portland, $4,197.75

Riverside Basin Marina for one portable facility, Clinton, $1,601.25

Saybrook Point Marina for four stationary facilities with vacuum system, Old Saybrook, $8,204.25

Brewer Dauntless Shipyard and Marina for two stationary facilities and one portable facility, Essex, $16,785

S&S Marine for one portable facility Old Saybrook $2,116.50

For information, visit the DEEP Boating webpage at ct.gov/deep/boating.

Middletown Press file photo Kay Jacobs, of Waterbury, keeps an eye on husband Bob as he waxes the topsides of their boat, Damm Yankee, at Portland’s Yankee Boat Yard.