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Posted on: October 18, 2019

Press Release: Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Leaders Sign ‘No Discharge Zone’ Petition


Office of Mayor GAVIN BUCKLEY 160 Duke Of Gloucester Street Annapolis, MD 21401	Office of County Executive STEUART PITTMAN 44 Calvert Street Annapolis, MD 21401

Media contacts: Mitchelle Stephenson, 410-972-7724 or mwstephenson@annapolis.gov
Roz Hamlett, 410-279-4748, roz.hamlett@aacounty.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Leaders Sign
‘No Discharge Zone’ Petition to MDE and EPA

ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 18, 2019) - Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley and Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman signed the application for a No Discharge Zone (NDZ) for an area that includes the Annapolis Harbor, all waterways that feed the Chesapeake Bay that begin in Anne Arundel County (including the Severn River, Magothy River, South River, and West/Rhode Rivers) and major creeks of those rivers.

In a No Discharge Zone, boats with a hold are not permitted to discharge either treated or untreated boat sewage. By keeping human waste out of area waterways, it will help to clean up an area that runs from Gibson Island to Deale.

One of the key components to an effective No Discharge Zone is the adequate capacity for mariners to offload their holds. The Annapolis City Harbormaster operates a pump-out boat that will go to boats at a slip, on a mooring or private pier. In addition, there are more than 50 pump out locations located around Annapolis and Anne Arundel County.

“For this to be successful, getting a pump out needs to be convenient and inexpensive,” said Harbormaster Beth Bellis. “We’ve done our best to make sure that can happen either at a marina when a boater stops to refuel or through my office where we dispatch the pump-out boat.”

The Maryland Departments of Natural Resources and the Environment will review the application and may apply to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for designation of these waters as a No Discharge Zone.

The application was prepared by David Barker of the Severn River Association, who also assisted the city and county with four required public meetings. The minutes of those meetings are included with the application.

To learn more about pump-out boats and marine sanitation, visit the City’s YouTube channel here.

Visit this page to see the pump out locations in the City and County.

Also in attendance at the NDZ signing: