Boat Pumpouts
Promoting responsible boat wastewater management through education, grants and the mobile pumpout boat.
Using boat wastewater pumpouts keeps our lakes and estuaries clean. Discharge from toilets, sinks and showers may cause algal blooms, aquatic life die-off events, shellfish closures and unsafe swimming conditions. Even on the coast where the tide is strong, wastewater is pulled out and pushed right back in; the tides keep contaminated water around the places where boats congregate.
Boat Pumpout Locations
The mobile pumpout boat (the Royal Flush) service operates annually from May through October. Please call (603) 670-5130 to schedule your pumpout. You must call for every pumpout that you need and allow at least a week for the pumpout to be scheduled.
Once per year, before the first pumpout, please submit the Boat Pumpout Release Form.
Always plan ahead to use the mobile pumpout boat! If you need an immediate pumpout or your boat is not in an area serviced by the mobile pumpout boat, use stationary facilities instead.
The Royal Flush travels to Hampton Harbor, along the coast, the Piscataqua River, Great Bay and other locations. NHDES cannot guarantee that the location of your boat is available for service by the Royal Flush, but we encourage everyone to ask so we can accommodate as many people as possible.
Stationary Facilities
You can find a boat pumpout facility near you by using our Boat Pumpout Mapper.
Other options for boat wastewater removal may include RV disposal locations, your local wastewater treatment facility, or a septic tank hauler.
If a pumpout is out-of-order or you have comments about a pumpout, fill out our Information Survey or send an email to CVA@des.nh.gov.
Apply for a Grant!
The Clean Vessel Act, or CVA, program is a federally funded initiative to support the installation, operation and maintenance of boat pumpout facilities. Any organization can apply for a grant to install or maintain a pumpout facility. Grants are for future projects only, and they cannot be applied retroactively. Therefore, organizations must wait until the grant is officially approved by the NHDES commissioner or Governor and Executive Council before any work begins. Projects are funded by reimbursement at 75%. Most activities related to the pumpout are eligible for reimbursement.
To apply for a grant, please email CVA@des.nh.gov with a description of the project, the total estimated cost, and the location for the facilities. The Clean Vessel Act program coordinator will then confirm that you are eligible and give you an estimate for when funding may be available for your project. The coordinator will then draft the grant paperwork for your review. If funding is available, the grant paperwork process takes between 1-3 months to complete.
Read more about boat pumpout grants in our Loans and Grants section.
Did you know?
Did you know?
New Hampshire was the first state to have a No Discharge Area: a waterbody or coastal zone granted greater protection against wastewater discharge from boats. Now, all waters of the state are NDAs!