Hingham Receives Grant For Shore-Based Pump Out Station

Hingham will receive a grant from the Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs to construct a shore-based pump out station.

The grant was presented to Hingham through the Coastal Pollution Remediation grant program designed to protect the town’s coastal waters.

The funds Hingham will receive will help design and implement controls for runoff pollution from roadways and parking areas and the installation of a boat pump-out facility for both commercial and recreational vessels.

With the grant, Hingham will construct the pump out station at the Hingham Town Landing to increase capacity and availability of free boat pump-out services for commercial boats and the general public. This project builds on design work funded by a previous CZM grant provided through funding from the Seaport Advisory Council. The new facility is designed to eliminate illicit discharges of sewage from vessels into the Boston Harbor NDA, supporting a goal of open beaches and shellfish beds.

Hingham will received $85,000 from the grant, and the Municipal sources will match it with $72,000.

Hingham along with Duxbury Ipswich, Marshfield and Plymouth were recipients of the grants which totaled $400,000 and matched by the Municipal sources with grants of $247,000.

“Massachusetts coastal waters are one of the Commonwealth’s greatest treasures and these grants help to safeguard beaches and coastal waterways, ensuring residents and visitors may enjoy them for years to come,” said  EEA Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. in a written statement. “I’m pleased to award these communities funding to protect public health and enhance the quality of marine habitats.”

The CPR grant program aims to improve coastal water quality by reducing or eliminating nonpoint source pollution, which is the leading cause of water pollution in the nation. NPS pollution occurs when contaminants are picked up by rain water and snowmelt and are carried over land or through drainage systems to the nearest water body.

The grant program also complements the Commonwealth’s current effort to designate all of Massachusetts coastal waters as a No Discharge Area (NDA), prohibiting the discharge of both treated and untreated boat sewage waste. Currently, 67 percent of the state’s coastline is designated a no boat sewage dumping zone.

“We are particularly excited about this year’s batch of awards, which will lead to immediate improvements in local coastal water,” said CZM Director Bruce Carlisle in a written release.  “Through the CPR grants program, CZM is able to directly support the efforts of coastal communities to open shellfish beds, improve water quality at public beaches, and protect important coastal habitats.”

-Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs