EPA-901-F-11-012
 No  Discharge Areas in  New  England
What Is a No Discharge Area?
A No Discharge Area (NDA) is a designated body of water where
the discharge of treated and untreated boat sewage is prohibited
(does not include grey water). Under the federal Clean Water Act
it is  illegal to discharge untreated (raw) sewage from a vessel in
U.S. waters.

MSDs - Marine Sanitation Devices (Boat Toilets)
Recreational boats are not required to be equipped with a toilet,
but if they are, the Marine Sanitation Devices (MSDs) must be
Coast Guard approved. The approved design requires the MSDs
to hold sewage for shore-based disposal or treat the sewage
prior to discharge. There are three types of MSDs:

TYPE I: MSDs discharge treated effluent having a fecal coliform
bacterial count not greater than 1,000 per 100 milliliters of
water and no visible floating solids.

TYPE II: MSDs discharge treated effluent having a fecal coliform
bacterial count less than 200 per 100 milliliters and suspended
solids not greater than 150 milligrams per liter.

TYPE III: MSDs are devices designed to store sewage (usually with
disinfectants and deodorants added) until it can be pumped out
at a pump-out facility or discharged outside the territorial sea
boundary of three miles from shore. These are also known as
holding tanks.
                                                   Boat Waste In a No Discharge Area
                                                   When operating in a No Discharge Area, Type I, Type II, and Type
                                                   III Marine Sanitation Devices cannot be discharged. In No
                                                   Discharge Areas, the US Coast Guard regulations state MSDs
                                                   Type I, Type II and Type III must be secured to prevent discharge.
                                                      A Type I, Type II and Type III MSDs must be secured when
                                                   operating in a No Discharge Area. This can be done by closing the
                                                   seacock and padlocking it, using a non-releasable wire tie, or
                                                   removing the seacock handle (with the seacock closed). Type I
                                                   and Type II can also be secured by locking the toilet door handle.

                                                   Health Protection
                                                   Sewage wastes discharged from boats degrade water quality
                                                   by introducing disease-causing microorganisms, nutrients,
                                                   and chemicals into the marine environment.
                                                      Microorganisms, which include viruses and bacteria, may
                                                   introduce diseases like hepatitis and gastroenteritis to people
                                                   in contact with the water. Microorganisms may also contami-
                                                   nate shellfish beds and cause beach closures.
                                                      Nutrients are necessary for the growth of both microscopic
                                                   and larger plants (seaweeds and eelgrass). However, when
                                                   nutrients become too abundant they stimulate algae blooms
                                                   which may lead to the loss of eelgrass and depletion of oxygen
                                                   in water (called hypoxia.) Hypoxia can stress and even kill fish
                                                   and other aquatic animals.
                                                      Chemical products can be toxic to marine and estuarine life
                                                   and could pose a problem in areas where boats congregate and
                                                   where there is little tidal flushing.
  Look for this CVA
  symbol to find pump-
  out facilities!
                                                    &EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Clean Vessel Act: http://www.fws.gov/r5fedaid/
                                                   www.epa.gov/region01/eco/nodiscrg

-------