No Discharge Area

2008 Barbara Pearson Memorial Award to Marshfield and Scituate Waterways Committees for their efforts to pass a No Discharge Area for the South Shore! Congratulations to both for their efforts to keep our waters clean and healthy!

In 2008, the NSRWA developed a brochure with pumpout contact information for boaters within the new No Discharge Area. Click here for a downloadable version of the map of the No Discharge Area and local contact information for pumpout. You can also find a copy of this brochure at local harbormasters' offices.

Sewage discharged from boats is a source of pollution in the North and South Rivers. Boat sewage degrades water quality by introducing microorganisms, nutrients, and chemical products into the marine environment. Microorganisms may introduce diseases like hepatitis to people in contact with the water, and can contaminate shellfish beds. Nutrients use oxygen in the water and as a result, depress oxygen levels as the sewage decays. Oxygen depletion or Hypoxia can stress fish and other aquatic animals. Chemical products can be toxic to marine and estuarine life and could pose a problem in areas where boats congregate and where there is little tidal flushing. Complying with vessel sewage discharge laws and regulations, and using pumpout facilities, are necessary step to protect public health, water quality, and the marine environment.

Now, thanks to advocacy from the NSRWA and others, no boat may discharge any effluent into the coastal waters from Cohasset to Marshfield. Boats that have Type I and Type II Marine Sanitation Devices (MSDs) must secure their systems so they cannot be used in the No Discharge Area. A Type III marine sanitation device is the only type that can be used legally in a "No Discharge Area" since these devices only provide holding tanks and must use pump out facilities regardless of the designation. Type I and II MSDs typically grind up sewage and add chemicals to treat it and discharge through the hull.