Marina Pumpout

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rawidman

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Our marina has a pumpout station. It's "portable", mounted on a wagon, and the dockhands bring it to your boat, pump it out, roll it up the ramp (they can only do this at high tide), and dump it in the sewer.

It's been broken for several weeks and they claim that they cannot get parts to repair it. They have apparently received permission to install a new "permanent" pumpout station at the gas dock (we would bring our boats to it) but the corporation that owns the marina will not fund it.

Are there any laws requiring a marina to have an operating pumpout facility?

How about if it was paid for with government assistance?

Is there an agency we can contact that can help us to get the pumpout equipment repaired or replaced?
 
afaik there are no laws mandating pump out facilities... if a marina received funding for a pump out, then there may be rules about maintaining them. check with your state.
 
I'm pretty sure that there are such laws/rules in place at the state or county level in this area. ( And, no, I do not know the details )

From my understanding ( from a drunk marina operator... ), the county requires a pumpout at all marinas that offer fuel and will, on a case by case basis, help fund the first time installation of a permanent fixture. The rule/law is apparently not well written ( loopholes ) or enforced.

In any event, I would expect any such rule/law to be a local/regional one, as the counties try to conform to federal water quality rules.
 
Generally speaking this is a state matter although there are probably some municipalities that have their own regulations. The state department of environmental conservation or the equivalent is probably the first phone call that you should make.

In Connecticut, if a marina wants to sell fuel it must offer free pump-outs. The marinas raised h*ll initially but 90% complied (10% stopped selling fuel) and the system seems to be working fine.
 
What do you mean, the "dump it in the sewer"??? I hope you are not referring to the storm drains - that is definitely illegal!

My understanding is that there is no "requirement" that a marina have a pump-out, but that they can get federal funds to help pay for one. If they do, they can only charge a "reasonable fee" for it's use.

If the government is really serious about eliminating overboard discharge, they should put pumpouts at every marina and make them free.
 
quote:
Originally posted by HOGAN

What do you mean, the "dump it in the sewer"??? I hope you are not referring to the storm drains - that is definitely illegal!

My understanding is that there is no "requirement" that a marina have a pump-out, but that they can get federal funds to help pay for one. If they do, they can only charge a "reasonable fee" for it's use.

If the government is really serious about eliminating overboard discharge, they should put pumpouts at every marina and make them free.

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They have a pipe connected to the sanitary sewer.

As far as the government being serious about overboard discharge, none (not even one) of the public boat landings in my area have restroom facilities or outhouses. It's not uncommon to see people jump in the water to pee while waiting to put their boats back on the trailer. You know they've been doing it the entire time they were on the water. It's not against the law, but the result is the same.
 
Same as above post, where are marina is. P/O is connected to town waste system.
 
As I understand it, there are no basic requirements for a marina to provide pumpout stations or facilities UNLESS they have received Federal funds to build, repair or maintain the marina. There are strings attached to the Federal funding requiring that pumpout stations be provided by the recipient marina. That may also hold true for state and local funding as well in some areas, I don't know. But I do know that Federal funding requires it.
 
We are just trying to find a way to prod the marina's absentee corporate ownership to repair/replace the portable unit or go ahead and install the permanent unit.
 
The state of Ohio hashad grants for yachtboats clubs to install pump outs. Check and see if SC has such a thing.

Good luck
Niles
 
quote:
Originally posted by nwaring

The state of Ohio hashad grants for yachtboats clubs to install pump outs. Check and see if SC has such a thing.

Good luck
Niles

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I believe they can get reimbursement for a large part of it (I'm hearing from a slip neighbor who is hearing it from the manager who is dealing with off-site corporate ownership), but they will have to front the $6,000 for the new one and then get partially reimbursed.

They have little incentive, nobody is going to leave over lack of a pumpout station.
 
Don't know exactly how it workd in VA but if the marina charges for any pumpouts after having recieved federal funds, the paperwork is terrible. Most just don't charge.
 
Originally posted by rawidman

We are just trying to find a way to prod the marina's absentee corporate ownership to repair/replace the portable unit or go ahead and install the permanent unit./quote]

Why not get a group together to buy the equipment and charge renters to use it?
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quote:
Originally posted by boatn

Doesn't Boat US offer grants for pump out facilities?

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I don't know if they are the conduit for congressional $$ or not.
 
The marina where I was had one installed and t was wholly funded from a stat grant. The only restriction that the owner told to me was that they were only allowed t charge $5.00 per pumpout for the first five years. After that it's whatever the economy will bear. But,here at least, there is no requirement that a marina have a pumpout. Seems like good business though, especially around no discharge areas,since that would bring in traffic that would likely buy something else. Does anyone go inside to pay cash for gas on pre pay stations and not get a soda or something?
 
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