Pleasant Bay Wins No-Discharge Designation

“Officials from the U.S. EPA held a news conference at Jackknife Harbor last week to announce their approval of a no-discharge area (NDA) for Pleasant Bay and Chatham Harbor. The designation, which has been a goal of the Pleasant Bay Alliance for years, makes it illegal for boats to discharge sewage there.

Boaters in Pleasant Bay and Chatham Harbor can make use of three free sewage pump-outservices,locatedatRyder’sCove Marine, Round Cove and at Nauset Marine East on Meetinghouse Pond. State and federal regulations stipulate that waterways must have ample pump-out facilities in order to be considered for an NDA.

Sewage, even if treated, raises the risk of bacterial contamination in waterways, and exacerbates the nutrient loading which can lead to eutrophication and eelgrass dieoffs. In some locations, though not in Pleasant Bay, NDA’s have been used to curtail chronic beach closures linked to sewage-borne bacteria.”

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