HONOLULU — The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has been awarded a $1 million grant under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Clean Vessel Act Pump-out Grant program, a DLNR press release states. The grant will be used
HONOLULU — The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has been awarded a $1 million grant under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Clean Vessel Act Pump-out Grant program, a DLNR press release states.
The grant will be used to fund the design and construction of pump-out improvements at Port Allen and Ma‘alaea Small Boat Harbors on Kaua‘i and Maui, respectively. A portion of the funding will be used to educate boaters on the importance of proper waste disposal and the impacts of improper disposal.
“DLNR’s goal is to preserve and protect Hawai‘i’s coastal resources,” DLNR chairman Peter Young said in the release. “Raw or poorly treated sewage can spread disease, contaminate shellfish beds and deplete oxygen levels causing negative impacts to fish and marine habitat.”
Young said the funding will help the DLNR continue to provide facilities and education for boaters and reduce the amount of waste put into the oceans.
Congress passed the Clean Vessel Act in 1992, establishing a federal grant program administered by the USFWS, to help reduce pollution from vessel sewage discharges, the release states.
Funding comes from the Sport Fish Restoration account, made up of revenues from excise taxes on fishing equipment, boats and motorboat fuels. Grants can fund up to 75 percent of pump-out improvements with states funding the balance.
