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12/14/2023 12:00 AMSince 2000, East Shore District Health Department (ESDHD) has administered the Shoreline Regional Pump Out service in collaboration with the State, our towns, and business partners, which pumps out sewage from any recreational boats free of charge. Since its inception, the program has diverted roughly half a million gallons of vessel sewage from being dumped into the Long Island Sound. This free boating service program is made possible thanks to a Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) grant funding that covers 75% of the cost.
The program is a partnership between ESDHD, the Town of Branford, DEEP, and the communities of East Haven, Guilford, West Haven, and New Haven, and covers 92,240 acres of shellfish and sea farming/kelp beds along the shoreline. ESDHD operates two pump-out boats: a traditional aluminum boat and the “Solar Shark,” the world’s first full-size solar-electric pump-out boat, for which ESDHD and communities have been nationally recognized for its creation.
The Regional Pump-Out Boat program runs Friday through Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the boating season, which will start again on May 1, 2024, and runs through Oct. 30, 2024. Boaters can contact the pump-out boat by calling the service at 203-430-9305 or VHF Channel 9. Vessel pump-out can also be scheduled for the entire boating season.
ESDHD is now looking to hire vessel pump-out operators and captains for the 2024 boating season. ESDHD offers a flexible work schedule and competitive wages starting from $20 to $25 per hour, depending on experience. Looking for an opportunity to spend your summer on the coastline while protecting our coastal waters? Please send a letter of interest and resume to our Pump-Out Boat program at shorelineregionalpumpoutboat@gmail.com.
For more information on the Shoreline Regional Pump-Out Boat program and the other services we provide the community, visit our website at www.esdhd.org.