No Discharge Zone: Chester River

As the result of a multi-year effort by ShoreRivers, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) designated the Chester River as the second No Discharge Zone in Maryland’s Chesapeake watershed. According to the DNR website, a No Discharge Zone “is an area of water where the discharge of all boat sewage is prohibited. This includes raw sewage . . . as well as sewage treated by Type I or II marine sanitation devices.”

In rivers without No Discharge Zones, it is legal to discharge treated sewage into the waters. While treated sewage (from a properly maintained and functioning marine sanitation device) does not contain bacteria pollution, it does contribute nutrient pollution. The Chester River NDZ will be marked with DNR buoys. Once inside the boundaries of the Chester River No Discharge Zone, all boats with marine heads must pump their waste at a discharge station (see DNR’s website for a list of locations). Violators can face fines up to $10,000.

PUMPOUT STATIONS ARE LOCATED AT THESE MARINAS:

Blue Heron Marina
Castle Harbor Marina
Chesterown Marina
Kennersley Point Marina
Lankford Bay Marina
Long Cove Marina
Queenstown Harbor Community Marina
Rolph’s Wharf Marina

CLICK HERE for more pumpout station details