Politics & Government
Keeping Sewage Out Of Annapolis Harbor Goal Of Petition
To keep human waste out of Annapolis harbor and its tributaries, city and county leaders have signed a no discharge zone petition.
ANNAPOLIS, MD — To keep human waste out of Annapolis harbor and its tributaries, city and county leaders have signed a no discharge zone petition. Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley and Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman have signed the application for a zone that includes the Annapolis Harbor, all waterways that feed the Chesapeake Bay that begin in Anne Arundel County (including the Severn River, Magothy River, South River, and West/Rhode Rivers) and major creeks of those rivers.
The zone would prevent boats with a hold from discharging either treated or untreated boat sewage. By keeping human waste out of area waterways, it will help to clean up an area that runs from Gibson Island to Deale, officials said in a news release.
One of the key components to an effective no discharge zone is the adequate capacity for mariners to offload their holds. The Annapolis City Harbormaster operates a pump-out boat that will go to boats at a slip, on a mooring or private pier. In addition, there are more than 50 pump out locations located around Annapolis and Anne Arundel County.
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“For this to be successful, getting a pump out needs to be convenient and inexpensive,” said Harbormaster Beth Bellis. “We’ve done our best to make sure that can happen either at a marina when a boater stops to refuel or through my office where we dispatch the pump-out boat.”
The Maryland Departments of Natural Resources and the Environment will review the application and may apply to the Environmental Protection Agency for designation of these waters as a no discharge zone.
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The application was prepared by David Barker of the Severn River Association, who also helped the city and county with four required public meetings. The minutes of those meetings are included with the application.
To learn more about pump-out boats and marine sanitation, visit the City’s YouTube channel here.
Visit this page to see the pump out locations in the City and County.
Also in attendance at the NDZ signing:
- Sen. Sarah Elfreth
- Alderwoman Eleanor Tierney
- Alderman Fred Paone
- Alderwoman Sheila Finlayson
- Alderman Ross Arnett
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