Our pumpout boat helps recreational boaters do the right thing by providing a convenient, legal way of disposing of vessel sewage from marine toilets. Our pumpout coordinator helps boat owners locate and operate shoreside facilities and can also pump out their holding tanks at their dock or mooring. Since 1995, Friends of Casco Bay’s pumpout boat has kept over 100,000 gallons of raw sewage from being dumped into our coastal waters.
Pumpout Season Ends Oct. 18
To schedule a pumpout during the season (June - October 18, 2009), please contact our pumpout captain at pumpout@cascobay.org or call 776-0136. Be sure to include your contact information so our pumpout captain can call you if he has questions. He will contact you after he services your boat.
Pumpouts are $10.00 per 20 gallon tank capacity.
Pumpout Boat Captain Exchanges PO for PA
Friends of Casco Bay bid a reluctant farewell to Helen Mattsson, our Pumpout Coordinator for the past four summers, as she moves to Pennsylvania to begin training to become a Physician Assistant (PA). In May, Helen graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maine with a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology. During her college years, she also earned her US Merchant Marine license and was certified as an emergency medical technician. Helen volunteered for UMaine’s student-run ambulance service and on medical missions to Ecuador and India.
Friends of Casco Bay Executive Director Cathy Ramsdell said, “We know that her warmth and easy-going manner, complemented by a fierce intelligence and desire to serve, will make her an outstanding addition to the medical profession–or anything she decides to pursue!”
Looking for a Job Working on Casco Bay?
Since Helen is not likely to leave medical school to return to us next summer, we will be looking for her replacement. Applicants must be experienced boat handlers. You must have a Captain’s License (at minimum a Launch Operator, preferably Six Passenger/Six Pack Operator, or even better, Master Mariner license). Our pumpout coordinator is our “Ambassador on the Bay,” so we are seeking someone who is friendly and professional to represent Friends of Casco Bay on the water. For more information, email keeper@cascobay.org.
Is Your Shoreside Pumpout Station Working?The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) funds and maintains the 21 pumpout stations in Casco Bay. If you find that your local shoreside facility is not working or inaccessible, she urges you to contact Pam Parker at the DEP at (207) 287-7905 or by email at Pamela.D.Parker@maine.gov. Reporting such incidences will help us provide local marinas with the mechanical services and funds required to ensure pumpout stations are functional and easy-to-use. Please click here for a full list of Casco Bay pumpout facilities.
What Does the "No Discharge Area" Mean for Boaters?
Casco Bay has been designated a No Discharge Area, which makes it illegal to dump boat sewage within three miles of the coast -- anywhere from Small Point to Two Lights. To learn more about what this law means for the Bay and you, click here for an informational factsheet.
Help Fund the Pumpout Program
Your donation will help keep sewage out of Casco Bay. Just write "Pumpout" in the designation box once you get to the billing page. Thank you!
