R.I. receiving $270K grant to support boating infrastructure, marine sewage disposal facilities

U.S. SEN. Jack F. Reed said the Clean Vessel Act has prevented millions of gallons of untreated sewage from polluting waters, including Narragansett Bay. Rhode Island received $270,385 through the Clean Vessel Act to support recreational boating infrastructure and marine sewage disposal facilities. / PBN FILE PHOTO
U.S. SEN. Jack F. Reed said the Clean Vessel Act has prevented millions of gallons of untreated sewage from polluting waters, including Narragansett Bay. Rhode Island received $270,385 through the Clean Vessel Act to support recreational boating infrastructure and marine sewage disposal facilities. / PBN FILE PHOTO

PROVIDENCE – The Ocean State will receive $270,385 through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Clean Vessel Act grant program to support recreational boating infrastructure and marine sewage disposal facilities.
The funding was announced this week by U.S. Sens. Jack F. Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Reps. James R. Langevin and David N. Cicilline.
The grants fund construction, replacement, renovation and maintenance of facilities that assist recreational boaters in properly disposing of on-board septic waste.
The R.I. Department of Environmental Management administers the program and awards grants for new or upgraded marine pump-out facilities to local grantees through its Office of Water Resources. Each Clean Vessel Act grant requires a 25 percent match. DEM will offer a maximum of $18,750 for land?based facilities and a maximum of $56,250 for mobile pump-out boats.
“This federal program helps protect Rhode Island’s waterways so that families, fishermen and boaters can continue to enjoy the state’s natural resources. Over the years, the Clean Vessel Act has prevented millions of gallons of untreated sewage from polluting our waters, including Narragansett Bay,” Reed said in a statement.
The R.I. Department of Environmental Management plans to utilize these funds to install three new land-based pumpout facilities, as well as replace two pump-out boats to service communities with large mooring fields. Additional funds will be made available to replace or upgrade existing stationary pump-out units and mobile pump-out boats.
“Rhode Island will continue to benefit from this important federal funding for our marine pump-out program, thanks to the dedicated efforts of our Congressional delegation,” R.I. Department of Environmental Management Director Janet Coit said. “All across Rhode Island we can see these funds at work, with new and upgraded facilities available for boaters traveling the shores of Block Island and Jamestown, Narragansett Bay and Bristol Harbor. Having conveniently located and well-maintained pump-out facilities ensures that Rhode Island boaters can properly dispose of their waste and helps to reduce a major source of contamination to the state’s coastal waters.”
Clean Vessel Act grants are funded through the federal Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, which is derived from excise taxes on fishing equipment, motorboat and small engine fuels, import duties and interest on the fund.
Owners of any Rhode Island marinas may apply for grants for projects located at the owner’s marina. A non?owner operator may apply for such a grant, but only if the owner co-signs the application and the grant award.

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