[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 44 (Friday, March 6, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11252-11253]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-5317]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5972-6]


Rhode Island Marine Sanitation Device Standard; Receipt of 
Petition

    Notice is hereby given that a petition has been received from the 
State of Rhode Island requesting a determination from the Regional 
Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, pursuant to 
section 312(f)(3) of Pub. L. 92-500 as amended by Pub. L. 95-217 and 
Pub. L. 100-4, that adequate facilities for the safe and sanitary 
removal and treatment of sewage from all vessels are reasonably 
available for all waters within the 3 mile territorial limit of Rhode 
Island's coastline and all coastal shore ponds which would include 
Point Judith and Potter Ponds, Quonochontaug Pond, Ninigret and Green 
Hill Ponds, Winnapaug Pond, the Pawcatuck River and also within the 3 
mile territorial waters surrounding Block Island. The areas covered 
under this petition include Latitude 71 deg.22'55'' Longitude 
41 deg.53'36'' at the Providence River, Latitude 71 deg.13'09'', 
71 deg.12'18'' Longitude 41 deg.42'11'', 41 deg.41'09'' in Mount Hope 
Bay, Latitude 71 deg.07'04'', Longitude 41 deg.26'25'' at the 
Massachusetts state border, and Latitude 71 deg.55'48'' Longitude 
41 deg.16'40'' at the Connecticut border.
    The State of Rhode Island has certified that there are forty-three 
disposal facilities available to service vessels operating in the 
marine waters of Rhode Island. A list of the facilities, phone numbers, 
locations, and hours of operation is appended at the end of this 
petition. Six additional facilities are pending or under construction. 
Of the forty-three facilities, thirty-eight are fixed shore based 
facilities, one is a mobile cart, and four are pump-out boats. Fourteen 
of the thirty-eight fixed, shore based facilities discharge to holding 
tanks. The other twenty-four discharge directly to municipal sewerage 
systems. The four pump-out boats also discharge to the sewer. In 
addition there are shoreside restrooms at all of the marinas as 
mandated by Sec. 300.4 of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management 
Program Rules and Regulations.
    Rhode Island mandates that all fixed facilities connect to 
available sewers, and holding tanks will ONLY be approved in locations 
where direct connection to an existing sewer system is not possible. 
The facilities which use holding tanks for boater wastes are required 
to use licensed septage haulers who must abide by Sec. 6.00 of the 
Rules and Regulations set forth by the Division of Waste Management, 
Department of Environmental Management. The state conducts periodic 
inspections for the purpose of record keeping and facility evaluation 
to assure pump-out facilities are operational and functioning.
    The pump-out facilities are capable of evacuating and discharging 
at head differentials of 25 feet. The capacity of the holding tanks is 
5,000 gallons as recommended under Rhode Island's Clean Vessel Act 
grant guidelines. The tanks are fitted with alarms that activate to 
ensure waste removal before the capacity is reached.
    There are 31,608 boats registered with the Rhode Island Department 
of Environmental Management Boating Office, 27,697 of which are 
recreational and 3,911 of which are commercial. Rhode Island estimates 
there are 11,203 registered boats larger than 20 feet and approximately 
5,033 transient boats larger than 20 feet. Rhode Island calculates that 
approximately 16,236 boats use pump-outs in their marine waters.
    In 1985 the Environmental Protection Agency designated Narragansett 
Bay as an ``estuary of national significance''. The Narragansett Bay 
Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan recommends that the Bay 
become a No Discharge Area to achieve greater water quality protection. 
The area supports 25 State parks, 160 marinas, and approximately 1.3 
million visits are made to bayside beaches each year. Nearly 300,000 
residents and nonresidents participate in recreational and commercial 
fishing.
    Comments and reviews regarding this request for action may be filed 
on or before May 5, 1998. Communications or requests for information 
should be addressed to Ann Rodney, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency--New England Region, Office of Environmental Protection, Water 
Quality Unit (CWQ), JFK Federal Building, Boston, MA 02203. Telephone: 
617-565-4885.

    Dated: February 23, 1998.
John P. DeVillars,
Regional Administrator.

                              Pump-Out Facilities Available in Rhode Island Waters                              
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             Marina name                        Number                 Water body           Hours of operation  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
City of Providence...................  454-4447...............  Seekonk River..........  F-Su 10 am-9:30 pm/M-Th
                                                                                          10 am-8 pm.           
Bootlegger Marina....................  273-2444...............  Seekonk River..........  F-Su 10 am-9:30 pm/M-Th
                                                                                          10 am-8 pm.           
Edgewood Yacht Club..................  466-1000/ext: 3245.....  Providence River.......  24 Hours.              
Port Edgewood Marina.................  941-2000...............  Providence River.......  24 Hours.              
Pawtuxet Cove Marina.................  941-2000...............  Providence River.......  24 Hours.              
Rhode Island Yacht Club..............  941-0220...............  Providence River.......  24 Hours.              

[[Page 11253]]

                                                                                                                
Cove Haven Marina....................  246-1600, Ch 9.........  Bullocks River.........  24 Hours.              
Warren Town Dock.....................  245-7340...............  Warren River...........  24 Hours.              
Bristol--BOAT........................  253-1700...............  Kickamuit River/Bristol  Daily 8 am-12 pm.      
                                                                 Harbor.                                        
Rockwell Town Pier...................  253-1700...............  Bristol Harbor.........  W 3 pm-6 pm/Sa-Su 10 a-
                                                                                          p.                    
Brewer's Sakonnet Marina.............  683-3551, Ch 9.........  Sakonnet River.........  Daily 8 am-5 pm.       
Pirates Cove Marina..................  683-3030, Ch 9.........  Sakonnet River.........  Daily 8 am-5 pm.       
East Passage Yachting Center.........  683-4000, Ch 9.........  East Passage...........  May-Sep 7 am-7 pm/Oct- 
                                                                                          Apr 8 am-5 pm.        
Alden Yacht..........................  683-4200, Ch 71........  East Passage...........  Call 683-4200.         
Bay Marina Inc.......................  739-6435...............  Warwick Cove...........  Call 739-6435.         
Carlson's Marina.....................  738-4278, Ch 9.........  Warwick Cove...........  Apr-Nov 8 am-5 pm.     
Wharf Marina.........................  737-2233...............  Warwick Cove...........  24 Hours.              
Harbor Light Marina..................  737-6353...............  Warwick Cove...........  Daily 8 am-9 pm.       
Warwick Cove Marina..................  737-2446...............  Warwick Cove...........  Daily 7 am-8 pm.       
Apponaug Harbor Marina...............  739-5055...............  Apponaug Cove..........  M-F 9 am/Sa 12 pm-4 pm.
Brewer's Yacht Yard at Cowesett......  884-0544, Ch 9.........  Greenwich Bay/Apponaug   M-Sa 8 am-4:30 pm.     
                                                                 Cove.                                          
Greenwich Bay Marina Club............  884-1810, Ch 9.........  Greenwich Bay & Cove...  Apr-Nov 8 am-5 pm.     
East Greenwich Yacht Club............  884-7700, Ch 9.........  Greenwich Cove.........  Daily 9 am-4 pm.       
Allen Harbor Marina..................  294-1212...............  Allen Harbor...........  Call 294-1212.         
Brewer's Wickford Cove Marina........  884-7014, Ch 9.........  Wickford Harbor........  Daily 7 am-6 pm.       
Wickford Marina......................  294-8160, Ch 10........  Wickford Harbor........  Daily 8 am-6 pm.       
Goat Island..........................  849-5655, Ch 9.........  Newport Harbor.........  Daily 7:30 am-8 pm.    
Long Wharf Marina--BOAT..............  849-2210, Ch 9.........  Newport Harbor.........  Daily 8 am-6 pm.       
Newport Yachting Center..............  846-1600, Ch 9 & 11....  Newport Harbor.........  Daily 8 am-7:30 pm.    
Newport Yacht Club...................  846-1600...............  Newport Harbor.........  Daily 8 am-8 pm.       
Ida Lewis Yacht Club.................  .......................  Newport Harbor.........  Members & Guests.      
New York Yacht Club..................  .......................  Newport Harbor.........  Members & Guests.      
East Ferry Town Dock--2..............  423-7262...............  Jamestown Harbor.......  Daily 8 am-8 pm.       
West Ferry Town Dock.................  423-1556...............  Dutch Island...........  24 Hours.              
Ram Point Marina.....................  738-4535, Ch 1 & 9.....  Point Judith Pond......  24 Hours.              
Avondale Boat Yard...................  348-8187...............  Little Narr./Pawcatuck   Daily 8 am-5 pm.       
                                                                 River.                                         
Block Island Boat Basin..............  466-2631, Ch 9.........  Great Salt Pond........  Daily 7 am-7 pm.       
Champlins Marina.....................  466-2641, Ch 68........  Great Salt Pond........  Daily 7 am-9 pm.       
Payne's Dock.........................  466-5572...............  Great Salt Pond........  Daily 7 am-6 pm.       
Block Island Harbor Dept.--2 BOATS...  466-3204, CH 12........  Great Salt Pond........  Daily 7 am-11 am/1 pm- 
                                                                                          sunset.               
Block Island Town Dock--cart.........  466-3204...............  Old Harbor.............  Daily 7 am-5 pm.       
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All phone numbers use area code 401.                                                                            


                                           Pending Pump-Out Facilities                                          
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                 Marina                       Number              Water body              Hours of operation    
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Warren--BOAT............................        245-7340  Warren River..............  To be determined.         
Jamestown--BOAT.........................  ..............  Jamestown Harbor..........  To be determined.         
Galilee State Pier......................  ..............  Point Judith Pond.........  To be determined.         
Southern View Marina....................  ..............  Point Judith Pond.........  To be determined.         
Frank Hall Boat Yard....................  ..............  Little Narr Bay/Pawcatuck   May-Nov 8 am-4 pm.        
                                                           River.                                               
Watch Hill--BOAT........................  ..............  Little Narr Bay/Pawcatuck   To be determined.         
                                                           River.                                               
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[FR Doc. 98-5317 Filed 3-5-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P