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Watershed Management Bureau
New Hampshire's Clean Vessel Act Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Discharge Of Boat Waste Really A Problem?
Most of the areas where boats congregate (harbors, anchorages, and marinas) are naturally sheltered and semi-enclosed. Therefore, these sheltered areas also are not flushed as well as more open waters. The end result is that most pollution that we put in these areas ends up staying there. Bacteria, chemicals, and nutrients contained in human waste from boats can overload small, poorly flushed waterways and cause local water quality problems. Disease carrying bacteria, viruses, and protozoa can enter the water through the direct discharge of boat waste. Direct threats to human health can arise through ingestion of contaminated water or consumption of fish or shellfish that have ingested these pathogens. Scientists have shown there are more bacteria in the untreated waste discharged by one boat than in the treated wastewater discharged by a small city!
For more information contact:
Teresa Ptak
NH Department of Environmental Services
Clean Vessel Act Program
PO Box 95; 29 Hazen Drive
Concord, NH 03302-0095
(603) 271-8803
teresa.ptak@des.nh.gov
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