United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Region 2: NJ, NY, PR, VI
290 Broadway
New York, New York 10007-1866
USEPA - Mary Mears 212-637-3669
EPA APPROVES NJ'S PLAN TO STOP BOATS FROM DISCHARGING
SEWAGE IN THE MANASQUAN RIVER AND THE SHARK RIVER
FOR RELEASE: Thursday, May 28, 1998
(#98059) NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) plan to prohibit
boats from discharging treated or untreated sewage into the Manasquan
River in Monmouth and Ocean Counties, and the Shark River in Monmouth
County. EPA Region 2 Administrator, Jeanne M. Fox and NJDEP Commissioner,
Robert Shinn announced the designation at an event today in Belmar, New
Jersey. The agencies determined that there are a sufficient number of
pump-out facilities located in the area to receive the sewage from vessels.
Sewage discharges from boats have been identified as a source of contamination
affecting water quality in the rivers.
"The designation of these two rivers as 'No Discharge Zones' will help
protect marine life in the Manasquan and Shark Rivers," said Jeanne M.
Fox, EPA Region 2 Administrator. "The Manasquan and the Shark rivers
are very important because they empty into the ocean near some of New
Jersey's most popular beaches. The healthier the rivers, the
healthier the near-shore ocean waters."
"I want to thank EPA and the local organizations who, with funding
from the New Jersey Clean Vessel Program, installed additional pumpout
facilities along the rivers. This is a viable and convenient
alternative to discharging wastes into the water," said Shinn. "We
are working with other estuary programs to create additional No
Discharge Zones as part of our statewide watershed management
initiative to reduce all sources of pollution."
The NJDEP petitioned the EPA to establish these "No Discharge Zones"
last fall. Under national marine sanitation standards, vessels
operating in the Manasquan River and the Shark River have always been
prohibited from discharging untreated sewage, but were allowed to
discharge treated sewage from approved marine sanitation devices. The
designation of "No Discharge Zones" means that the discharge of both
treated and untreated vessel sewage is prohibited.
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