Boater sewage rule may tighten
3 more towns seek no-discharge zone
The harbors of Cohasset, Marshfield, and Scituate may soon become off-limits to the discharge of boat sewage, whether treated or not.
Ian Bowles, state energy and environmental affairs secretary, plans to announce as early as today the designation of the three harbors - along with tidal portions of the North and South rivers, and adjacent waters - as a 54-square-mile "no-discharge area," according to his spokeswoman, Lisa Capone.
In a no-discharge area it is illegal under federal law to discharge any vessel sewage, even treated. In other areas, treated sewage can be discharged.
The decision, which still requires federal approval, was made by Bowles in response to an application developed jointly by Cohasset, Marshfield, and Scituate over the past year. Portions of the North River also touch Hanover, Pembroke, and Norwell, but those towns were not involved in the application.
Harbor officials in Cohasset, Marshfield, and Scituate said they sought the designation as one way to improve the quality of their coastal waters, which are used by an estimated 3,000 locally based commercial fishermen and recreational boaters and encompass more than a dozen public beaches.
"It just seemed like the right thing to do," said Mark Patterson, Scituate harbormaster.
Even treated sewage can contain bacteria, viruses, nutrients, and chemicals harmful to water quality and aquatic life, according to Capone. Those contaminants can pollute valuable shellfishing areas and have the potential to spread diseases into the waters at beaches.
"There are so many more boats than there used to be in the past," Patterson said, "and so many people who now stay on their boats." Establishing the no-discharge area "is part of the process of educating people and making them realize that even though they may think the small amount they are contributing to the problem is insignificant, when you take the cumulative effect, it's a real problem."
In their application, prepared with help from the state Office of Coastal Zone Management, the three towns said the designation would complement efforts they have made to address pollution, which has degraded the water and contributed to periodic closures of beaches and shellfish beds.
Those other efforts include expanding sewer service to coastal neighborhoods, developing storm-water bylaws, and adding sewage pump-out services. There are 10 - and soon to be 12 - such land- and vessel-based facilities where boaters can discharge sewage.
There are now eight no-discharge areas in Massachusetts, including the coastal waters of Plympton, Kingston, and Duxbury.
In a statement, Bowles said the Cohasset-Marshfield-Scituate designation "is another example of strong state, regional, and local commitments to improving water quality and protecting coastal resources."
"By prohibiting boat sewage discharges, [no-discharge areas] reduce the risk of human illness and protect the priceless natural resources of our coasts," he said, adding that the nomination is a "big step" toward a goal set by Governor Deval Patrick of eventually designating all of the Commonwealth's coastal waters as no-discharge areas.
Under federal rules, boaters with an installed marine toilet must have sanitation devices that treat sewage before it is discharged. But in a no-discharge area, a holding tank has to be used. Portable toilets are still permitted on boats without built-in heads, but the sewage cannot be released into the water.
Cohasset's participation in the no-discharge effort was spearheaded by the town's Harbor Health Committee, which was formed in 2005 in response to the many beach closures the town had experienced due to high bacteria levels, according to the panel's chairwoman, Karen Quigley.
"We are trying to do everything we can to improve and protect the quality of our coastal waters because it really is such a big part of what Cohasset is," Quigley said. "And we are looking to be more environmentally conscious and protective of our resources."
Michael DiMeo, Marshfield harbormaster, called the no-discharge area designation "a great idea."
It's part of a trend that over time will reduce the number of beach closures, he said.
DiMeo said that by lowering pollution levels, the effort would enhance an ongoing initiative by Marshfield and Scituate harbor officials to rebuild the clam flats in the North River.
The no-discharge application has been well received by boaters, according to the local harbor officials, who held public meetings to provide information and seek feedback on the designation.
Quigley said one or two boaters expressed concern about the possibility of increased boardings and inspections, and potential fines. But she said overall there was "overwhelming support from the boating community, and the community, itself."
Violation of no-discharge area requirements can be enforced through citations issued by the US Coast Guard, state environmental officials, or local harbormasters. But the primary focus of local officials is to educate boaters about the availability of pump-out facilities and the importance of using them.
"We don't have the desire nor the capacity to go around and seek fines," said Bill Schmid, vice chairman of the Scituate Waterways Commission. "What we are trying to do is to make people aware of what the right thing to do is and to provide them with the tools to do the right thing."
"We are coastal communities," he said. "To pay attention to this resource that has given us so much makes a lot of sense."
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