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Clean Vessel Act

In 1992, the Clean Vessel Act was signed into law to reduce water pollution by prohibiting vessels from discharging raw sewage into fresh water or coastal saltwater. The act established a federal grant program, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to fund sewage disposal facilities.

To date, the federal grant program has awarded nearly $246 million to help boaters properly dispose of sewage.

Clean Vessel Act Grant Program

In Florida, the Clean Vessel Act Grant Program is housed within the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Since 1994, DEP has provided grants to marinas across the state to install pumpout facilities and to purchase pumpout vessels. To further improve water quality in Florida’s waterways, DEP’s Clean Boater Program funds educational programs for boaters through the Clean Vessel Act grant.

Apply for a Clean Vessel Act pumpout grant and learn about DEP training resources.

 

Florida has pumped out 45,524,945 gallons of sewage from vessels as of Dec. 31, 2022.

That's more than 44 million gallons of sewage that did not enter Florida's waterways.

 

Pumpout navigation app flyer

Use Pumpout App to Help Keep Florida Waters Clean

Florida boaters now have access to the free interactive mobile app, Pumpout Nav, available on iOS and Android, to locate over 250 publicly available pumpouts, portable toilet dump stations and mobile pumpout vessels throughout the state. Use the app to:

  • Locate pumpout services.
  • Keep a log of your pumpouts.
  • Learn your holding tank capacity to avoid emergency pumpouts.
  • Report broken stations.
  • Find pumpouts and sewage dumps stations.. 

Pumpout Navigation App flyers are available to print and post at your facility.

The Florida DEP Clean Vessel Act Grant Program, in partnership with the Florida Sea Grant, develops tools and resources that empower the boating community to properly dispose of waste and keep our water clean.

Important New Requirements for Federal Grant Funds

The Build America, Buy America Act was enacted on Nov. 15, 2021, as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Public Law 117-58. With the passage of the IIJA, federal financial assistance projects for infrastructure must comply with domestic content procurement preference requirements established in the “Build America, Buy America Act” at Section 70911 et seq.  For more information, see Build America, Buy America presentation. A printable Build America, Buy America fact sheet is also available for download.