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New Pumpout Boat On Mission To Keep Barnegat Bay Clean
OCEAN COUNTY - Ocean County is getting ready to purchase a new pumpout boat to replace the one servicing the southern portion of Ocean County.
"Our pumpout boat program has resulted in environmental benefits up and down Barnegat Bay," said Freeholder Joseph H. Vicari, who serves as liaison to the program. "We have been working with three boats and we need to replace the one servicing the southern area."
The board of freeholders awarded a contract to Marine Boat Builders Co. of Warwick, Rhode Island for a new 23- foot fully equipped pumpout boat.
"This boat replaces the Waste Watcher and we expect the new one to be delivered by early July," Vicari said.
Since 2001, when it first began service on Little Egg Harbor Bay and Tuckerton Creek, the Waste Watcher helped insure that more than 49,000 gallons of wastewater from recreational boaters was disposed of properly.
However, the 23-foot long boat with the 300 gallon holding tank has experienced some fits and starts in at least two of its seasons and is now going to be replaced.
"Even with some of the problems we ran into, the captains have done a great job keeping the boat in working condition and providing this very popular service to our boaters," Vicari said.
In December, the board authorized the submittal of a grant application to the New Jersey Clean Vessel Act Steering Committee for the purchase of the new pumpout boat.
The boat is expected to cost $67,350 and the county will be responsible for paying for the boat prior to being reimbursed by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
"This program has been an ongoing partnership with the DEP in an effort to reduce pollution in Barnegat Bay and the other waterways in Ocean County," said Freeholder John P. Kelly. "The bay is a centerpiece for many tourism activities in Ocean County and it's a priority of this board to keep it clean."
Ocean County's pumpout boat program includes a total of three boats, each servicing a different area of the bay. The boats take to the water starting Memorial Day weekend and continue
to provide the service through the month of October.
Since the program got started in 1998 with the first boat - the Circle of Life which is owned by Seaside Park and
part of the county's program - almost 300,000 gallons of wastewater has been removed from the holding tanks of recreational boaters.
Pumpout boats are specifically equipped boats capable of emptying the on-board toilets and holding tanks of other boats.
Tuckerton Seaport operates the Waste Watcher for Ocean County in Little Egg Harbor Bay and Tuckerton Creek and Brick Township operates the Bay Saver.
The preceding story was a press release provided by the Ocean County Department of Public Affairs.
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