Boat-Waste Pump Out Facility Planned for Hingham Harbor

Boat-owners who take advantage of the free pumping out facility provided by Hingham Harbor may see a significant change in the way the service is provided next season after the Board of Selectmen agreed to support a proposed installation of a shore-side pump out station.

Kenneth Corson III, Hingham Harbormaster, presented to the Selectmen an application for potential funding through the Coastal Pollutant Remediation Grant Program implementing designs that were drawn up by Coastal Zone Management in 2009.

The project will cost $144,000 with Hingham requesting potential funding of up to $75,000 to complete the work before the start of the 2012 Boating Season. Under the terms of the grant, any applicant agrees to match at least 25 percent of the total project cost and the proposal being submitted for consideration will reflect that agreement.

Currently Hingham uses a pump-out vessel to service the boating community and Corson estimated that this year there has been 12,000 gallons of sewage and/or waste removed during the boating season. Hingham does not currently have a municipal shore-based pump-out facility and the vessel has to travel to either Weymouth or Quincy to discharge the waste.

If the application for funding is successful, it has been proposed that a stand-alone pump would be located on a float in the Harbor which would allow for the facility to be as close to boats as possible. It will consist of one peristaltic pump with a hydrant located on the existing town float and a length of hose to reach the boats secured to the new added dock with a berth dedicated to performing pump-outs.

This would help meet an increasing need for the elimination of pathogens from boat holding tank discharges and lead to an improvement in overall water quality in the area, especially in view of local resources such as the bathing beaches and shellfish beds.

Discussions regarding a dedicated shore-side pumping out facility have been ongoing in the community for over ten years and remove the current practice of using private facilities in neighboring communities to discharge the tank. The pump would only be operational during the boating season and the Hingham Sewer Commission has agreed to endorse the project.

The project would require work to be done to the existing sewer infrastructure in the Harbor area with the removal and replacement of the sidewalks and asphalt to be part of installing the requisite pipelines. 

Pumping-out would still be free to the boat community and the Town is reimbursed by the State for 75 percent of expenses relating to this unavoidable side of boating.

Although the 2011 boating season is coming to an end, there were still other matters to discuss regarding the use of Hingham Harbor.

After receiving a request for the introduction of a one-off fee by a local commercial hauler as opposed to an annual amount, it was agreed that a fee of $65 would be levied on individual haulers who would be looking to use the public ramp on a solitary basis. The annual fee of $200 would be still be offered, but there have been occasions recently when a company has only used the ramp once in the season, and therefore a one-off payment could provide an additional revenue stream from commercial ventures who are unwilling to pay the annual charge.

There will also be new mooring regulations in place for 2012. Under the Town By-Laws, there is a requirement for an agreed set of guidelines for any vessel that wishes to use the Harbor and, following two years of discussions after being agreed at Town Meeting, these were presented to Selectmen for their agreement.

These guidelines and regulations have been drawn up to make it easier for boaters to get all of the required information in one place and will take effect from next year. A full copy of the Mooring Regulations will be placed on the Town website and will also be available from the Harbormaster.