The Environmental Protection Agency has ruled that the all craft be required to discharge treated or untreated sewage into a pumpout boat or facility, not into Barnegat Bay. BRAVO!

April 30, 2003

Walter A. Andrews
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Water Programs Branch
290 Broadway, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10007-1866 BY FAX

Dear Mr. Andrews,

On behalf of Save Barnegat Bay, which is supported by over 1200 families annually, I am writing to enthusiastically endorse the concept of a “no discharge area” with regard to treated and untreated sewage from boats on Barnegat Bay.

This vitally needed step has been a long time coming. It has been mentioned as an important goal of both the State of New Jersey’s “Barnegat Bay Study”, which was initiated in 1987, and of the National Estuary Program. Countless volunteers, elected officials, and public employees have put in hundreds of hours into making this designation possible.

The State of New Jersey has cooperated both through grants to get pumpout boats on the water and through requiring that new marinas have pumpout facilities before receiving permits.

This designation will have the advantage of making it totally clear that refraining from discharging marine waste into Barnegat Bay is one of the responsibilities of owning a craft. Commercial baymen, recreational fishermen, swimmers, the tourism industry, and all the elements of Barnegat Bay ecosystem will benefit.

We are grateful to the Environmental Protection Agency for proposing this constructive and long anticipated change.

Sincerely,

William deCamp, Jr., President