DNR Accepting Applications for Marina Pumpout Grants through April 15

Photo by Susan Hale, submitted to the 2019 Maryland DNR Photo Contest.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is currently accepting applications from marinas for grants to support the operations and maintenance of marine sewage pumpout stations. Interested marinas can find the application form online. The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2024. 

Marinas in need of a new or replacement pumpout system can apply for a separate grant throughout the year. Details are also found on the department’s website.  

The Marine Sewage Pumpout Grant program aims to assist marinas in providing reliable pumpout services to local boaters. These pumpout stations offer boaters a proper and legally compliant method of disposing of their sewage, helping to prevent contamination of Maryland’s waters. The department actively supports the installation and operation of these stations as part of an overarching strategy to reduce nutrient levels in the Chesapeake Bay.

Funding for this program is provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with Clean Vessel Act funds  (75 percent), and the Maryland Waterway Improvement Fund (25 percent). Boaters provide the grant funding through federal excise taxes on fishing equipment, motorboat and small engine fuels, and import duties. Additionally, when titling a boat in Maryland and paying the state’s excise tax, boaters contribute to the Waterway Improvement Fund.

More information and applications are available on the Department of Natural Resources website. Applicants can contact the Clean Vessel Act Program Administrator, Jennifer Jackson, at jenniferl.jackson@maryland.gov or 410-260-8772.