TOMS RIVER – This past summer saw an increased demand for pumpout boat services on waterways in Ocean County. More people decided to spend time on the water during this summer of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.
Ocean County Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari said, “the pumpout boat program has broken through the milestone of 2 million gallons of effluent (2.1 mil. gal.), removed from more than 98,500 recreational boats since the start of the program in 1997.”
Vicari, who is liaison to the popular program added, “the County’s successful pumpout boat program is a major factor towards ensuring that our coastal waters, such as the Barnegat Bay and the Little Egg Harbor, remain clean.”
Six boats make up the Ocean County Pumpout Boat program which concluded its 23rd season in mid-October.
“The demand for pumpout boat services dramatically increased in the 2020 boating season, breaking all records. There was a 24 percent increase in total vessels serviced and a 13 percent increase in total gallons pumped over the previous year,” Vicari added.
According to the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey, there was “a significant increase in boaters on the water, boat sales and new boaters” as well.
Vicari said, “if there were any silver linings from the coronavirus pandemic, it appears that people returned to boating in large numbers in order to enjoy leisure activities safely. This is also helpful to our local economy.
“While there were restrictions in place, boating seemed a good choice to maintain social distancing and public safety,” Vicari added.
Pumpout boat operators and captains maintained and operated the boats in accordance with safe social distancing protocols. The captains maintained a minimum distance of 6 feet from other boaters, and practiced no-contact pumpouts and disinfecting of nozzles. The vessels were thoroughly cleaned with disinfectant regularly.
“It was important to meet all the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines in order to keep our captains safe and the public they serviced. Making these changes didn’t make for an easy summer but knowing the importance of protecting Barnegat Bay and working with the captains and other partners, we were able to make it a safe and successful boating season,” Vicari said.
He noted that this also meant providing boaters with a means to properly dispose onboard wastewater. More than 8,400 boats were serviced during the 2020 summer season and almost 200,000 gallons of effluent were removed from the vessels that could otherwise have ended up in the Barnegat Bay.
Pumpout boats are equipped vessels capable of emptying the on-board toilets and tanks of other boats, keeping waste from entering the bay. The boats are available to provide the pumpout service on weekends starting Memorial Day weekend running through October.
“Even with the added concerns about COVID-19 and the increase in requests for service, our captains did a great job. Their dedication and commitment to the environment and the boaters they served was even more evident this season. We couldn’t do it without them,” he said.
Brick Township, Seaside Park, the Tuckerton Seaport and the Ocean County Utilities Authority are all partners in the program. The six full-time boats were all purchased by Ocean County.
The purchasing costs were reimbursed through the Clean Vessel Act Grant and the New Jersey Shore-to-Please license plate program. These same programs fund the installation of fixed pumpout stations at marinas throughout coastal New Jersey.
Ocean County and the Ocean County Utilities Authority shared in the operational costs for the boats in the amount of up to $20,000 per full time boat. The $130,000 budget covers the boat captains, fuel, maintenance, insurance and other operational costs.
This allowed for the service to be provided free of charge to boaters. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection also provides grant funds to offset the operational costs.
