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07/26/2017 08:30 AMWith her nursing background, Brianna Weller is perfectly suited to her health education role with East Shore District Health Department (ESDHD)—but she never imagined she’d find herself at the helm of ESDHD’s effort to bring about one of the first all-electric, solar-powered pumpout boats of its type in the nation.
Based in Branford, ESDHS’s pumpout program now serves boaters on the water in the towns of Guilford, Branford, East Haven, West Haven, and New Haven. ESDHD first launched its pumpout boat program 17 years ago. Since that time, the program has grown to include two gas-powered boats offering free pumpouts; it now services some 600 area boats per season. Pumpouts safely remove and dispose of marine toilet waste filling holds of recreational boats.
“We’re trying to protect the Sound and keep the water clean. We’ve been keeping the water clean for 17 years in our area, at least, pumping out well over 300,000 gallons of sewage that could have easily ended up in the water,” says Brianna.
ESDHD applies for a grant each year to keep the program running, with boats operating Friday to Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ESDHD oversees one of the boats and the other is owned by the service contractor who operates both vessels to provide ESDHD pumpouts. The state contract for the ESDHD pump-out boat is technically with the Town of Branford, with ESDHD running the administrative piece.
ESDHD’s pumpout boats are hard at work to make it that much easier for area boaters to comply with discharge regulations, says Brianna. Boaters can call ahead for a free appointment or even sign up at ESDHD’s website.
“It’s so convenient. We have this great service, and we come to you,” says Brianna.
A few years back, the idea to develop an all-electric, solar-powered pumpout boat to leave no carbon footprint began to grow among ESDHD officials and its all-volunteer Pumpout Program committee.
About two years ago, ESDHD Director Michael Pascucilla announced that the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) would provide a grant, funded through the federal Clean Vessel Act, for 75 percent of the cost of a solar-powered pumpout boat.
“The DEEP is 100 percent behind us. They are very excited about this opportunity,” says Brianna.
The prototype solar-powered pump-out boat, developed by Pilots Point Marina in Westbrook, will cost approximately $200,000. Smaller prototypes have been built in recent years, but none to the extent of the approximately 24-foot vessel planned for ESDHD and the extensive area it will serve, says Brianna. In addition to reducing the carbon footprint with its solar-powered electric operating system and boat engine, over time, the vessel will also deliver a savings in fuel and maintenance costs.
“As far as we know, this pumpout boat is going to be the first one of this size, this magnitude, and this capability. This is going to the first boat of its kind. There really is no other boat out there like this,” says Brianna. “I think all of us in the pumpout boat world are excited about it. We’ve already seen hybrid and electric cars come to fruition and their impact. We truly believe this is the next big thing in boating.”
Brianna’s role in bringing about the next big thing stems from her initial enthusiasm to help spread the word about the five-town pumpout program when she first came on board with ESDHD. Brianna joined ESDHD in December 2014 and serves as Shoreline Regional Pumpout boat Program lead as well as preparedness coordinator/health educator and Region 2 Medical Reserve Corps lead.
“I am one of the health educators here and I’m also the emergency preparedness coordinator. Mike and I had a conversation—he knows I love to be out in the community. It kind of started with me doing the publicity and educating the boating community on the pumpout program. We now have five towns we serve, so while people in the original catchment area of Branford knew about it, we’ve spent the last couple of years revamping the program and trying educate not only just the boating community, but the shoreline community, because clean water is important for everybody.”
From that work, her role with bringing about the all-electric, solar-powered pumpout vessel evolved.
“I never in a million years thought I would be working with a pumpout boat vessel! I didn’t even know what a pumpout boat was until I started here,” says Brianna. “I’m a nurse, I’m a health educator, and to step outside of my own comfort zone a little bit and just see the impact that this program, the pumpout boat and the Clean Vessel Act has had, just on our community alone, is unbelievable.”
Brianna heads up ESDHD’s 12-member Pumpout Program Committee, with members from all five towns (including three “resident experts” from the original volunteer committee that formed up when the pump-out program first began, she notes). Now, the committee has all hands on deck in an effort to raise the final $50,000 needed to launch construction of the solar-powered pumpout boat.
“We came up with a plethora of ideas, because we’re trying to capture the attention a lot of different people,” she says. “A lot of people think this just affects the boating community and it really doesn’t. So we’re trying to reach as many people as possible, and we’re trying to make it fun for people because this really is a new, exciting adventure.”
On July 21 ESDHD kicked off the committee’s Mission: Zero Emissions fundraising drive at Stony Creek Brewery on the Branford River. The site was chosen for the kickoff because from there, “you can see the beautiful shoreline we’re trying to preserve and keep stunningly gorgeous,” says Brianna.
The mission continues with a big day in the planning for Thursday, Sept. 21, when three events will take place. ESDHD will host a Mission: Zero Emissions golf tournament at Pine Orchard Yacht & Country Club (POY&CC) on Sept. 21 (shotgun start at 1 p.m.; rain date Thursday, Sept. 28); an afternoon Thimble Island boat cruise through Stony Creek on the Sea Mist, and a banquet dinner at the POY&CC following the Sept. 21 golf tournament and the cruise.
To help community members make a contribution at any time, ESDHD has also set up a GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/solar-power-pump-out-boat.
Brianna hopes the different fundraising approaches underway will also serve to strengthen the message of the importance of keeping the Sound clean.
“This is a great way to get the word out about this program. Think of how many people come into Connecticut this time of year, who might think, ‘Does my state have a pumpout program?’ If they don’t, why? It just spreads the word about keeping the water clean,” she says.
For more information, call Brianna Weller at the East Shore District Health Department at 203-481-4233 or visit www.esdhd.org.