Clean Vessel Act Grant Program

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. The CVA Program provides federal funding to states to help get pumpouts into facilities as needed. Florida Statute 327.53 has additional information on the regulations for marine sanitation disposal within FL state waters.

The CVA initially established a five-year federal grant program administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and authorized $40 million in funding from the Sport Fish Restoration Account of the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund. Every five years, Congress reauthorizes the federal funding appropriation. Each year, the state can apply for federal grants to administer the program and issue subawards for up to 75% of all approved projects, while the remaining 25% is matched by the grantees.

In 1998, Congress appropriated $50 million in funding to continue the pumpout grant program. The funding supported the expansion to more areas throughout the United States and to make pumpouts more accessible to the public.

To date, the federal grant program has awarded more than $250 million to help boaters properly dispose of sewage.

Florida has pumped out 56 million gallons of sewage from vessels as of July 10, 2025, and

Installed more than 670 pumpouts across the state.

Use Pumpout App to Help Keep Florida Waters Clean

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.

Recently, in an effort to reduce the impact of boater sewage on our environment and aquatic wildlife, we partnered with the pumpout nav, which is a free interactive mobile app to locate over 280 publicly available pumpouts, portable toilet dump stations and mobile pumpout vessels throughout the state. Use the app to:

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

Resources

Untreated sewage (MSD Type III) is prohibited from discharging in Florida state waters which extend 9 nautical miles from the Gulf coast and 3 nautical miles from the Atlantic coast. Treated sewage (MSD Type I & II) is prohibited from discharge in No Discharge Zones, freshwater lakes, reservoirs or impoundments whose entrance and exits are too shallow for vessels with installed toilets to enter and leave, and any river not navigable by interstate vessel traffic.

It is preferred not to discharge sewage in the water whether treated or not, as it can create an imbalance in the ecosystem over time. For sewage waste disposal, use the Pumpout Nav app to locate the pumpout nearest you. For other waste disposal, find the Designated Clean Marina near you. If you are a Marina and would like to be designated, visit the Clean Marina Program and learn about the Simple Steps to Designation.

Sample Operational Plan (SOP):

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