EPA grants New Hampshire request to designate coastal waters as "No Discharge Area"

BOSTON, MA (10/13/05) -- The U.S. EPA has approved New Hampshire’s request to designate its coastal waters as a No Discharge Area. This designation applies to all of New Hampshire’s coastal waters, and means that discharges of treated and untreated boat sewage would be prohibited within three miles of the shore.

New Hampshire is the second state in New England to designate all of its coastal waters as No Discharge.

"By making all of New Hampshire’s coastline a no discharge area, the state and EPA are taking a big step forward for water quality improvements,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA's New England Office. “This designation means cleaner beaches, cleaner shellfish beds and cleaner boating.” 

Before making a No Discharge designation, EPA and the state ensure that there are enough pumpout facilities where boaters can get their holding tanks pumped out. New Hampshire's coastline has an estimated 4,593 boats, of which only 962 are large enough to have a “head” or toilet on board. The pumpout facilities include five that are fixed or shore based, and one that is a pumpout boat.

See the No Discharge Areas in New England Web site for more information.