Grant Round Open for Clean Vessel Act Grant Funding for Critical Pumpout Facilities, Which Removed Over One Million Gallons of Marine Sewage from Connecticut’s Waters in 2025

Applications Due September 4, 2026

(HARTFORD) - Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today that during the 2025 boating season, pumpout facilities receiving federal Clean Vessel Act grant funding removed more than 1.4 million gallons of marine sewage from recreational vessels in Long Island Sound and Candlewood Lake.

The Clean Vessel Act (CVA) Grant Program uses federally funded matching grants to support qualifying marine facility projects which provide free pumpout opportunities for recreational boaters. Since 2020, over 7.2 million gallons of sewage has been pumped from recreational vessels.

The pumpout facilities funded by the CVA Grant Program will further protect the state’s waters by expanding access to locations where sewage from boats can be properly collected. This expansion is critical to preventing the direct discharge of waste into waterways—an activity that contributes to water quality pollution and increases risks to public health.

“These practical investments in pumpout infrastructure support efforts across DEEP to improve water quality in Long Island Sound, the Connecticut River, and inland waterways throughout Connecticut,” said DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes. “These investments help protect fish and wildlife habitat while ensuring our waterways remain clean and safe places for boating, swimming, fishing, and other outdoor recreation.”

DEEP also announced today that funding is available for grants to marine facilities to purchase, install and/or operate marine sewage disposal facilities, known as pumpouts, during the 2027 boating season. The solicitation can be found by entering solicitation #DEEP-2026-018-MM at CT Source Bid Board. Any owner or operator of a public or private marine facility interested in funding an eligible project with CVA funds is encouraged to apply. All applications must be submitted to DEEP before September 4, 2026.

Funding for the CVA Grant Program is provided through the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, which is supported by excise taxes on certain fishing and boating equipment and motorboat fuels. DEEP partners with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to manage this program and issues grants to marine facilities and pumpout vessel programs through the CVA Grant Program. The marine facilities provide 25% of the cost of each project.

This year, 37 marine facilities across Connecticut’s shoreline and Candlewood Lake have received CVA grant funding for pumpout operations. Boaters from Greenwich to Stonington have easy access to these free facilities. The facilities receiving CVA Grant funding are:

Beacon Point Marine, Inc. (Greenwich)
Birdon NE LLC (Portland)
Cedar Island Marina (Clinton)
City Point Yacht Club (West Haven)
Clinton Yacht Haven Dockominium (Clinton)
Crockers Boatyard (New London)
East Norwalk Blue (Bridgeport, Darien, Fairfield, Greenwich, Norwalk, Westport, Stamford)
East Shore Health District/Branford (Guilford, Branford, East Haven, New Haven, West Haven)
Echo Bay Marina (Brookfield)
Essex, Town of (Chester, Deep River, Essex, Haddam, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook)
Ferry Slip Dockominium Association, Inc. (New London)
The Guilford Yacht Club Association, Inc. (Guilford)
Hays Haven Marina (Chester)
The Marina at American Wharf (Norwich)
Mystic River Marina, Inc. (Mystic, Stonington)
Norwalk Cove Marina (Norwalk)
NW Marine Inc. (Stonington, Pawcatuck)
Pequonnock Yacht Club (New Haven)
Petzold’s Chester Boat Basin (Chester)
Rex Marine Center, Inc. (Norwalk)
Save the River – Save the Hills Inc. (East Lyme, Waterford)
Saybrook Point Marina, LLC (Old Saybrook)
Shennecossett Yacht Club (Groton)
SHM Bruce & Johnson Marina (Branford)
SHM Dauntless Shipyard and Marina (Essex)
SHM Deep River Marina (Deep River)
SHM Ferry Point Marina (Old Saybrook)
SHM Mystic LLC (Mystic, Stonington)
SHM Pilot’s Point Marina LLC (Westbrook)
SHM Port Milford (Milford)
SHM Stratford, LLC (Stratford)
SHM Yacht Haven (Stamford)
Shrink the Boat, LLC (Groton, Stonington, Noank, Groton Long Point, New London, Fisher’s Island)
Stonington, Town of (Stonington)
Stratford, Town of (Stratford, Milford, Derby)
Westerly, Town of (Stonington, Pawcatuck, Westerly)
William J. Petzold (Portland)

“Our agency celebrates the positive impacts that the Clean Vessel Act funding brings – by supporting free and convenient pumpout facilities which prevent the dumping of untreated waste in our waterways,” said DEEP Boating Division Director Peter Francis. “When these facilities are conveniently located and well-maintained, boaters use them, and that translates directly into cleaner water.”

For more information about this program or to find a facility near you, please visit the DEEP Boating webpage at DEEP CVA Grant Program or contact Jacob Budris, CVA Grant Program Coordinator at (860) 447-4349 or by email at jacob.budris@ct.gov.

Twitter: @CTDEEPNews

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Contact

DEEP Communications
DEEP.Communications@ct.gov
860-424-3110

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