For Immediate Release: 6/8/2017

Managing Boat Sewage the Environmental Way: There is an App for that!

Contact: Greg Imura   I   916.651.5691

SACRAMENTO, Calif. –  California’s recreational boaters in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Southern California now have a new digital tool to aid in the proper disposal of boat sewage. The “Pumpout Nav” app is designed to help boaters locate the closest sewage pumpout station for their vessels. Using the mobile device’s location, the app displays the pumpout stations closest to the boater, their operational status, as well as the cost, hours and location within the marina. The new app is free and available for download from both the Android Play and iOS Apple stores.

With 1,100 miles of coast, and hundreds of navigable rivers and lakes, California has one of the highest levels of recreational boating activity in the nation. This outdoor activity increases the potential impact of boat-related pollutants that can enter aquatic environments. Pollutants that may be associated with boating activities include sewage, oil and fuel, detergents, solvents, paints, plastics and other marine debris. Given the large number of recreational boats in the state, even a small amount of pollution from a fraction of boats can cause serious harm to marine fish and wildlife. The new app provides recreational boaters a means to minimize the impact of boat-related pollutants.  

Below are features of the “Pumpout Nav” app:

  • Locates the closest sewage pumpout stations to the app users in Northern (Bay and Delta) and Southern California. Expansion of pumpout data to other areas of the state is ongoing.
  • Displays the pumpout’s operational status, as well as the cost, hours and location within the marina.
  • Provides instructions on how to use a pumpout station.
  • Informs boaters on the environmental risks and applicable regulations regarding sewage discharge.
  • Allows boaters to report non-operational pumpout stations directly to marina managers through the app. Once a boater submits a report, the marina manager and the local Clean Vessel Act Program are notified.

The San Francisco Estuary Partnership developed the free sewage pumpout locator application. The app was produced as a part of a Clean Vessel Act grant provided by the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways through the federal Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund.

For more information, please contact Adrien Baudrimont at adrien.baudrimont@sfestuary.org or James Muller at james.muller@sfestuary.org. Tips on how to keep California’s waterways clean and green can be found online at www.BoatingCleanAndGreen.com.  




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