There are many grants available from the Federal government that can aid marinas across the USA in helping to keep our waterways clean. One of those is the Clean Vessel Act or CVA. This program was created in 1992 to help reduce pollution from overboard discharge of sewage from vessels cruising our waterways.

CVA grants are administered by the Fish & Wildlife or FWC. The Sport Fish Restoration Account designated $40 Million dollars from the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund to help expedite this process across the USA.

What does the CVA provide funding for? Basically, this program helps marinas construct, renovate, or maintain pump-out facilities, either fixed or mobile. They cover 75% of the cost to maintain operations for, or to install new facilities for, or to provide educational services and signage for, pump-outs through reimbursement of funds dogeared for this type of project. The guidelines are quite specific and the fee for such services cannot exceed five dollars per vessel, but the money is readily available should your organization select to pursue this grant. All facilities that are awarded these grants must post at least two signs.

The first priority is to educate boaters on the importance of proper sewage disposal. FWC has forged partnerships with the US Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA to assist in enlarging community awareness toward that end. NOAA marks such facilities on their charts which are readily available to the boating public at large.  In addition to those agencies, there are many pump-out manufacturers across the United States who also carry the torch for helping to keep our waterways free from sewage and pollution. Boatyards, yacht clubs, boating facilities, and marinas are able to get specialized designations for achieving and maintenance, i.e. Clean Marina and Resilient Marina, for participating in these programs.

To learn more please log on to https://floridadep.gov/fco/cva/content/about-clean-vessel-act