PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF WATERWAYS California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways is accepting grant applications for the Clean Vessel Act Education and Outreach Grant Program. A maximum of $280,031 in federal funding per targeted region is available to organizations for educating coastal and San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary recreational boaters about sewage disposal, the use of pumpout facilities and monitoring pumpout and dump stations.
In 1992, Congress passed the Clean Vessel Act to help reduce pollution from sewage discharges into U.S. waters. The grant program educates boaters on ways to keep the state’s waterways clean. Discharging sewage overboard can create environmental and human health problems. All recreational boaters are encouraged to use sewage management facilities, including pumpout stations, dump stations and mobile pumpout services.
In a statement, the division said it serves as the state’s Clean Vessel Act grant coordinator and will fund two grants to develop a 12-month educational program. Each regional grant must include education and outreach efforts and a pumpout/dump station monitoring program. Applications will be evaluated and ranked according to how each application proposal demonstrates comprehensive and proven methods for meeting grant program goals. The deadline to apply is Aug. 9.
The grants are funded by the Division of Boating and Waterways with funding provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund.
For information on the grant program and how to apply click here.
