More than 128,000 gallons of waste water was properly treated and disposed of during the 2014 boating season when more than 6,200 boaters accessed Ocean County’s free pumpout boat service.
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| Photo via Google The Bay Defender is the county's sixth boat. |
Ocean County’s pumpout boats are specially outfitted vessels capable of emptying the on-board toilets and tanks of other boats, which keeps waste from entering Barnegat Bay. Approximately 200 more boaters used the service in 2014 than in 2013.
This year was the program’s 17th season. Ocean County Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari, who serves as liaison to the award-winning program, has extended his “appreciation to the captains for their dedication and commitment to this program.”
Recreational boating in Ocean County saw a decline in recent years as a result of the 2009 recession only to be further complicated by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, according to the county.
“We saw an improved season on the water in 2014, and we know those improvements will continue,” Vicari said.
The county unveiled its sixth pumpout boat this past June, which is managed by Brick Township. The 23-foot vessel has a 420-gallon holding tank. Throughout the years, more than 1.2 million gallons of waste water from boats using the bay have been properly disposed.
The fleet of six boats covers different areas of the bay throughout the county.
“It is an important part of Ocean County’s continuing programs to protect Barnegat Bay,” Vicari said. “From the first boat, the Circle of Life operated by Seaside Park, to the sixth, appropriately named the Bay Defender, the program has been very successful in helping Ocean County’s efforts to keep the bay waters clean and also to assist boaters who use the waterways.”
The continuing success of the service is built on the lasting cooperation of the state, county and participating municipalities, Vicari noted. The county works with the Tuckerton Seaport, Brick Township and Seaside Park to operate the boats.
The costs are split between the county and the Ocean County Utilities Authority, which allows the pumpout service to be provided to boaters free of charge. Although the county provides the initial funding for the purchase of the boats, the program is fully reimbursed by the state Department of Environmental Protection through the Clean Vessel Act program.
“The program provides numerous environmental benefits as all the agencies and individuals involved work to preserve and protect Barnegat Bay,” Vicari said.
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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