Pumpout facilities on the Long Island Sound and Connecticut’s largest lake collected 1.2 million gallons of sewage from boats in 2015, a record high, according to new date released by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Sewage pumpouts at facilities along the sound and Candlewood Lake that are a part of the Clean Vessel Act program have increased for four consecutive years. In 2014, facilities pumped just under 994,000 gallons.
The facilities receive federal funding, channeled through DEEP, to build, operate and maintain the systems.
“The goal is to build on this success to keep our waters clean and healthy, and to provide excellent water-based recreational opportunities in Connecticut,” DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee said in a statement.
For the 2016 boating season, which is nearly over, facilities received $1.1 million. In 2017, they will receive $1.2 million. Facilities must kick in 25 percent of project costs.
The money comes from a federal fund that receives excise taxes on fishing and boating equipment as well as import duties on boats and boat fuels.
