Water Access Points in Boston Harbor: Encouraging Boating and a Clean Harbor

The Harbor Water Access Project assisted its sponsor, the Boston Environment Department, in its goal of making the harbor safer and cleaner for boaters. The project reviewed and developed mooring permit and pump-out facilities databases through a variety of methods. These were then used in making recommendations about the permitting process and the ability of the harbor to meet pump-out requirements set by the EPA. Recommendations include a streamlined mooring permit process which allows more fluid integration between departments. This process will also limit input errors, making it easier for the Boston Harbormaster to verify permit information. The project also developed suggestions and supporting data for a potential No-Discharge Zone application to the EPA