[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 69 (Monday, April 11, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19989-19993]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8463]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-9292-3]
New York State Prohibition of Discharges of Vessel Sewage;
Receipt of Petition and Tentative Affirmative Determination
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice--Receipt of petition and tentative affirmative
determination.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to Clean Water Act,
Section 312(f)(3) (33 U.S.C. 1322(f)(3)), the State of New York has
determined that the protection and enhancement of the quality of the
New York State areas of the Long Island Sound requires greater
environmental protection, and has petitioned the United States
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, for a determination that
adequate facilities for the safe and sanitary removal and treatment of
sewage from all vessels are reasonably available for those waters, so
that the State may completely prohibit the discharge from all vessels
of any sewage, whether treated or not, into such waters.
New York State has proposed to establish a ``Vessel Waste No-
Discharge Zone'' for the Long Island Sound that encompasses
approximately 760 square miles, includes the open waters, harbors, bays
and navigable tributaries of the Sound and a portion of the East River,
from the Hell Gate Bridge in the west to the northern bounds of Block
Island Sound in the east. It excludes waters of Mamaroneck Harbor,
Huntington-Northport Bay Complex, Port Jefferson Complex, Hempstead
Harbor and Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor Complex, which have been
previously designated as No Discharge Zones.
DATES: Comments regarding this tentative determination are due by May
11, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
E-mail: [email protected]. Include ``Comments on
Tentative Affirmative Decision for NYS LIS NDZ'' in the subject line of
the message.
Fax: 212-637-3891.
Mail and Hand Delivery/Courier: Moses Chang, U.S. EPA
Region 2, 290 Broadway, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10007-1866. Deliveries
are only accepted during the Regional Office's normal hours of
operation (8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding federal
holidays), and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of
boxed information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Moses Chang, (212) 637-3867, e-mail
address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given that the State of New
York (NYS or State) has petitioned the United States Environmental
Protection Agency, Region 2, (EPA) pursuant to section 312(f)(3) of
Public Law 92-500 as amended by Public Law 95-217 and Public Law 100-4,
that adequate facilities for the safe and sanitary removal and
treatment of sewage from all vessels are reasonably available for the
NYS areas of the Long Island Sound (LIS or Sound). Adequate pumpout
facilities are defined as one pumpout station for 300-600 boats under
the Clean Vessel Act: Pumpout Station and Dump Station Technical
Guidelines (Federal Register, Vol. 59, No. 47, March 10, 1994).
The Long Island Sound is one of the nation's premier water bodies,
and supports a variety of possible uses--fish and shellfisheries, fish
spawning areas, breeding grounds, valuable wildlife habitats, bathing
beaches, commercial and recreational boating, and a profusion of
recreational resources.
In 1985, recognizing the Sound's ecological and economic value, New
York State partnered with Connecticut and the EPA to create and support
the Long Island Sound Study (LISS). The Sound was recognized as an
Estuary of National Significance under the Clean Water Act in 1988, and
as such, is one of the nation's twenty-eight (28) National Estuary
Programs.
The ecological, economic, and recreational resources provided by
the Long Island Sound are vulnerable to the effects of poor water
quality. The Sound was once home to some of the most productive
shellfish beds in the nation, but many have now closed due to pathogen,
low dissolved oxygen, and excessive nutrient contamination.
The State of Connecticut designated the Connecticut portion of the
Long Island Sound as a No-Discharge Zone (NDZ) in 2007. Previously
established No-Discharge Zones in both New York State and Connecticut
have made important reductions in vessel waste as a source of water
pollution in the Long Island Sound. Degradation of any area, however,
affects the whole. Extending the No-Discharge Zone designation to the
remainder of the Long Island Sound would therefore be a positive
component of an overall strategy to protect and improve these waters
and would create a unified approach to vessel waste for the entirety of
this waterbody.
In order for EPA to determine that adequate facilities for the safe
and sanitary removal and treatment of sewage from all vessels are
reasonably available for the New York State areas of the Long Island
Sound, the State must demonstrate that the pumpout-to-vessel ratio does
not exceed 1:300. In its petition, the State described the recreational
and commercial vessels that use the Sound, and the pumpout facilities
that are available for their use.
The recreational vessel population, 11,693, was estimated using
2008 recreational vessel registrations. In addition to recreational
vessels, the Sound is used by commercial vessels. The majority of
commercial vessels are small fishing vessels, tankers, tugs, or barges.
Because the small fishing vessels are comparably sized to the bulk of
recreational vessels, they can make use of the existing vessel pumpouts
that are available for recreational vehicles. The small commercial
vessel population, 500, was estimated based on aerial photographs used
to develop the 1996 Statewide Clean Vessel Plan. The figures for
recreational and small commercial vessels were then compared to the
number of pumpouts available to determine the applicable ratio and
whether the requirement is met. There are fifty-two (52) pumpout
facilities funded by the Clean Vessel Assistance Program (CVAP) in the
relevant areas of the Sound. Of those, twenty-six (26) discharge to a
holding tank and twenty-six (26) discharge to a municipal wastewater
treatment plant. There are also sixteen (16) other (non-CVAP funded)
pumpouts available for recreational and small commercial vessels that
either discharge to a holding tank or to a municipal wastewater
[[Page 19990]]
treatment plant. Therefore, the total number of pumpouts available for
the 12,193 recreational and small commercial vessels that use the Sound
is sixty-eight (68), and the pumpout-to-vessel ratio for those vessels
is 1:179.3 (68:12,193).
The number of large commercial vessels was estimated using the
following information sources: ballast manifests; U.S. Coast Guard
assessments; phone contacts with ferries, cruise ships, the State
University of New York (SUNY), and the Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey. On any given day, the numbers of large vessels in the New
York waters of the Long Island Sound is very low, partially due to
complex navigational issues. Tankers, tugs, cruise ships and barges
have access to mobile pumpout facilities (i.e., ``honey-dipper'' trucks
or boats) as they do in Connecticut, or may access pumpout facilities
at their home port, outside of the region, eliminating the need for
services within the Sound.
Ferries constitute the greatest need for pumpouts for large
commercial vessels. The New London to Orient Point Ferry does not
discharge to LIS waters. It pumps waste from its ferries into the New
London City sewer system. The Bridgeport to Port Jefferson Ferry could
discharge its waste into a sewage system operated by either the Town of
Port Jefferson, or Suffolk County, and the ferry company is in the
process of negotiating an agreement to do so. In the interim, septic
truck services are readily available for pumpout while the ferries are
docked in Bridgeport. SUNY Maritime College's large vessel is equipped
with a marine sanitation device (MSD) that it discharges to the open
sea or when docked in its home port at Fort Schuyler. SUNY may install
a sewer pipe on the pier so that the vessel can discharge to the
municipal system. In the interim, septic truck services are readily
available for pumpout when in port at Fort Schuyler.
A list of the facilities, phone numbers, locations, hours of
operation, water depth and fee is provided as follows:
List of Pumpouts in the LIS NDZ Proposed Area
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Contact Dates/days/hours Water depth
No. Name Location information of operation (feet) Fee
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.......... Wright Island Milton Harbor, 914-235-8013.... Memorial Day to 10............. $5.00.
Marina. New Rochelle. Labor Day;
daily; 9 a.m.-5
p.m.
2.......... Nichols Yacht Mamaroneck 914-698-6065.... Apr 15-Oct 15; 8.............. Free.
Yard, Inc. Harbor, daily; 9 a.m.-5
Mamaroneck. p.m..
3.......... Village of Mamaroneck 914-777-7703; Apr-Nov; Mon-Sun 8.5............ Free.
Mamaroneck--Har Harbor, VHF 16. (in season); 24
bor Island East Mamaroneck. hours.
and West Basin.
4.......... City of Rye-- Milton Harbor, 914-967-2011; Apr 1-Oct 31; 5.............. Free.
Municipal Boat Rye. VHF 16. Mon-Sun; 8 a.m.-
Basin. 8 p.m.
5.......... Town of Cold Spring 631-351-3049; May 1-Oct 31; 6.............. Free.
Huntington--Col Harbor, VHF 9. Mon-Sun; 8 a.m.-
d Spring Harbor Huntington. 8 p.m.
Replace.
6.......... Village of Greenport 631-477-2385; May 1-Oct 31; N/A............ $5.00.
Greenport--Boat Harbor, VHF 9. Mon-Sun; 8 a.m.-
Engine Greenport. 5 p.m.
Replacement.
7.......... Port of Egypt Southold Bay, 631-765-2445.... Apr-Nov; Mon- 4.............. $5.00.
Marine, Inc. Southold. Sun; 7:30 a.m.-
5 p.m.
8.......... Claudio's Marina Greenport 631-477-0355; Apr 1-Nov 1; Mon- 10............. Free.
Harbor, VHF 9. Sun; 8 a.m.-5
Greenport. p.m.
9.......... Albertson Marine Southold Bay, 631-765-3232; Apr-Dec (Closed 5.............. $5.00.
Inc. Southold. VHF 16 & 18. Sundays, Jan-
Mar); Mon-Sun,
8 a.m.-5 p.m.
(Sun 9 a.m.-3
p.m.).
10......... Fishers Island Southold Bay, 631-788-7036; Memorial Weekend 10............. Free.
Yacht Club Boat. Fisher's Island. VHF 73. to Columbus
Day; Sat, Sun,
& Holidays; 9
a.m-6 p.m..
11......... Old Dock Bluff Stony Brook 631-360-7514; Apr-Oct; Mon- 4.............. Free.
Park Replace. Harbor, VHF 16. Sun; 24 Hrs.
Smithtown.
12......... Town of Stony Brook 631-360-7643; Apr-Oct; Mon- 4.............. Free.
Smithtown--Long Harbor, St. VHF 16. Sun; 24 hours.
Beach Mooring James.
Area.
13......... Coecles Harbor Coecles Harbor, 631-749-0700; May 15-Oct 12; 6.............. $5.00.
Marina and Shelter Island. VHF 9. Mon-Sun; 8 a.m.-
Boatyard, Inc. 5 p.m.
14......... Village of Northport 631-261-7502; May 15-Oct 15; N/A............ Free.
Northport- Harbor, VHF 9. Mon-Sun; 9 a.m.-
Pumpout Boat. Northport. 5 p.m.
15......... Town of Northport 631-351-3192; May 1-Oct 31; 6.............. Free.
Huntington--Woo Harbor, VHF 9. Mon-Sun; 8 a.m.-
dbine Marina. Northport. 8 p.m.
16......... Town of Huntington 631-351-3049; May 1-Oct 31; 10............. Free.
Huntington--Sou Harbor, VHF 9. Mon-Sun; Boats
th Town Dock. Halesite. 8 a.m.-8 p.m.;
Stationery
station 24
hours.
17......... Town of Huntington 631-351-3049; Apr 1-Sept 30; 6.............. Free.
Huntington-Mill Harbor, VHF 9. Mon-Sun; 24
Dam Marina Huntington. hours.
Pumpout.
18......... Town of Lloyd Harbor, 631-351-3049; Apr 20-Nov 30; 8.............. Free.
Huntington--Hun Huntington. VHF 9. Sat, Sun, &
tington Boat Holidays; 10
Pumpout. a.m.-8 p.m.
[[Page 19991]]
19......... Town of Huntington 631-351-3049; Apr 1-Sept 30; 10............. Free.
Huntington--Hal Harbor, VHF 9. Mon-Sun; 24
esite Marina Huntington. hours.
Pumpout.
20......... Town of Huntington 631-351-3049; Memorial Day to N/A............ Free.
Huntington--Hal Harbor, VHF 9. Labor Day; Sat
esite Marina Huntington. & Sun; 10 a.m.-
Boat. 8 p.m.
21......... Town of Huntington 631-351-3049; May 1-Oct 31; 8.............. Free.
Huntington--Gol Harbor, VHF 9. Mon-Sun; 8 a.m.-
d Star Huntington. 8 p.m.
Battalion.
22......... Huntington Yacht Huntington 631-427-4949; Apr 15-Nov 15; 8.............. $5.00.
Club. Harbor, VHF 68. Mon-Sun; 8 a.m.-
Huntington. 8 p.m.
23......... Town of Huntington 631-351-3049; Apr 1-Dec 31; 10 low tide.... Free.
Huntington-Mill Harbor, VHF 9. Mon-Sun; 24
Dam Marina Huntington. hours.
Pumpout Upgrade.
24......... Town of Port Jefferson 631-473-3052; May 15-Sept 15; N/A............ Free.
Brookhaven-Port and Setauket VHF 73. Weekends &
Jefferson Boat- Harbors & Holidays; 8
Replacement. Conscience Bay, a.m.-4 p.m.
Port Jefferson.
25......... Town of Mt. Sinai 631-473-3052; Mid-May to Mid- N/A............ Free.
Brookhaven--Mt. Harbor, Port VHF 73. Sept; Weekends
Sinai Boat- Jefferson. & Holidays; 8
Replacement. a.m.-4 p.m.
26......... NYCDEP-World's East River, 631-595-4458; May 1-Oct 31; 8.............. Free.
Fair Marina. Flushing. VHF 71. Mon-Sun; 8 a.m.-
6 p.m.
27......... NYCDEP-Bayside Little Neck Bay, 718-595-4458; May 1-Oct 31; 4-12........... Free.
Marina. Flushing. VHF 72. Mon-Sun; 24
hours.
28......... Capri Marine & Manhasset Bay, 516-883-7800; May 1-Oct 31; 1.5............ Free.
Yachting Center. Port Washington. VHF 9 & 71. Mon-Sun; 8 a.m.-
10 p.m.
29......... Town of Oyster Oyster Bay...... 516-624-6180.... N/A............. N/A............ Free.
Bay--Theodore
Roosevelt Beach
& Marina
Upgrade.
30......... Town of Oyster Hempstead 516-624-6180; Jan-Dec; Mon- 7-8............ Free.
Bay--Tappen Harbor, VHF 9. Sun; 24 hours.
Beach & Marina. Glenwood
Landing.
31......... Sea Cliff Yacht Hempstead 516-671-7374; May 15-Sept 15; 8.............. $5.00.
Club. Harbor, Sea VHF 9. Mon-Fri; 9 a.m.-
Cliff. 5 p.m.
32......... Town of North Hempstead 516-767-4622; May 15-Nov 1; 7.............. Free.
Hempstead--Port Harbor, Port VHF 9 & 16. Mon-Sun; 24
Washington Dock Washington. hours.
Pump
Replacement.
33......... Town of North Manhasset Bay, 516-767-4622.... May 15-Nov 1; 6.............. Free.
Hempstead--Mano Port Washington. Wed-Sun; 8 a.m.-
rhaven Beach 4 p.m.
Park.
34......... Town of North Hempstead 516-767-4622; Apr-Oct; Mon- 6.............. Free.
Hempstead-Bar Harbor, Port VHF 9 & 16. Sun; 24 hours.
Beach Park. Washington.
35......... Manhasset Bay Manhasset Bay, 516-883-8411; Apr 1-Oct 1; Mon- 15............. Free.
Marina (Port Port Washington. VHF 9 & 71. Sun; 24 hours.
Washington)--19
95 Project.
36......... InspirationWharf Manhasset Bay, 516-883-7800; May 1-Oct 31; 6.............. Free.
, c/o Ventura Port Washington. VHF 7 & 9. Mon-Sun; 8 a.m.-
Management Corp. 10 p.m.
37......... U.S Merchant Little Neck Bay, 516-773-5798.... Jan-Dec; Mon- 6.............. Free.
Marine Academy. Kings Point. Sun; 9 a.m.-3
p.m.
38......... Glen Cove Yacht Hempstead 516-676-0777.... Apr-Oct; Mon- 6.............. $5.00.
Service & Harbor, Glen Sun; 24 hours.
Repair, Inc.. Cove.
39......... City of Glen Hempstead 516-676-1625.... N/A............. 7.............. Free.
Cove--Glen Cove Harbor, Glen
Yacht Club. Cove.
40......... Brewer Marina at Hempstead 800-331-3077; May 1-Oct 31; 6.............. $5.00.
Glen Cove. Harbor, Glen VHF 9 & 16. Mon-Sun; 7:30
Cove. a.m.-4 p.m.
41......... NYCDEP--Locust Pelham Bay, 718-595-4458; May 1-Oct 31; 4.............. Free.
Point Marina. Bronx. VHF 68. Mon-Sun;
Sunrise to
Sunset.
42......... City Island Pelham Bay, City 718-885-2300; Apr 1-Dec 8; Mon- N/A............ $5.00.
Yacht Sales-- Island. VHF 9. Sun; 8 a.m.-
Pumpout Boat. 4:30 p.m.
43......... City of New New Rochelle 914-235-7339; Apr-Nov 30; Mon- 8.............. Free.
Rochelle--Munic Creek & Lower VHF 9 & 16. Sun; 24 hours.
ipal Marina. Harbor, New
Rochelle.
44......... Town of Oyster Oyster Bay 516-624-6180; Apr 1 to Mid- 7-8............ Free.
Bay--Theodore Harbor and Mill VHF 9. Nov; 7 days/
Roosevelt Beach Neck Bay, week; 24 hours.
& Marina Boat Oyster Bay.
Rep.
[[Page 19992]]
45......... Haven Marina.... Manhasset Bay, 516-883-0937.... May-Sept; Mon- 8.............. Free.
Port Washington. Sun; Sunrise to
Sunset.
46......... Town of Stony Brook 631-360-7620; Apr-Oct; Mon- 4.............. Free.
Smithtown--Long Harbor, St. VHF 16. Sun; 24 hours.
Beach Park East James.
Replacement.
47......... West Shore Esopus-Lloyd-- VHF 16 & 19..... Mon-Sat, 8 a.m.- N/A............ Free.
Marine. Marlborough, 5 p.m.; Sun, 10
Marlboro. a.m.-5 p.m.
48......... City of New Echo Bay, New 914-235-7339; Memorial Day to N/A............ Free.
Rochelle--Pumpo Rochelle. VHF 9. Labor Day; Fri-
ut Boat. Mon; 8 a.m.-4
p.m.
49......... City of New New Rochelle 914-235-7339; Apr-Nov 30; Mon- 8.............. Free.
Rochelle--Munic Creek & Lower VHF 9 & 16. Sun; 24 hours.
ipal Marina. Harbor, New
Rochelle.
50......... Town of Huntington 631-351-3049; Apr 20-Sept 30; 8.............. Free.
Huntington--Mil Harbor, VHF 9. Sat, Sun &
l Dam Boat. Huntington. Holidays; 10
a.m.-8 p.m.
51......... Manhasset Manhasset Bay, 516-677-5853.... Fri-Sun & Varies......... Free.
Pumpout Boat. Syosset. Holidays; 10
a.m.-6 p.m.
52......... North Hempstead Manhasset Bay... 516-767-4622; Apr 1-Oct 30; Varies......... Free.
Pumpout Boat. VHF 9 or 71. Mon-Fri; 9 a.m.-
3 p.m.
53......... Tappen Marina Oyster Bay 516-677-5853; June-Oct; Fri- Varies......... Free.
Pumpout Boat. Harbor and Mill VHF 9. Mon; 8 a.m.-6
Neck Bay, p.m.
Oyster Bay.
54......... Western Oyster Bay VHF 9........... Memorial Day to N/A............ Free.
Waterfront Pier. Harbor, Oyster Labor Day; 7
Bay. days/week; 24
hours.
55......... Theodore Oyster Bay 516-677-5853; Mid-Apr to Oct Varies......... Free.
Roosevelt Harbor and Mill VHF 9. 31; Thu-Sun; 10
Pumpout Boat. Neck Bay, a.m.-6 p.m.
Oyster Bay.
56......... Soundview Boat Northport 631-351-3255; Memorial Day to 6' at low tide; Free.
Ramp. Harbor, VHF 9. Labor Day; Sat 12' at high
Northport. & Sun; 8 a.m.-8 tide.
p.m.
57......... Island Boat Yard West Neck 631-749-3333; Apr 15-Oct 15; 15............. $5.00.
Harbor, Shelter VHF 9. Mon-Sun; 9 a.m.-
Island. 5 p.m.
58......... Port Jefferson Port Jefferson 631-331-3567; Boats: May to 11............. Free.
Marina. Harbor, Port VHF 9 for Mid-Sept; Fri,
Jefferson. marina, VHF 73 Sat, & Sun; 8
for pumpout a.m.-6 p.m.
boats. Barge: May-Nov;
7 days/week; 24
hours.
59......... Brewer Yacht Greenport 631-477-9594; Year-round 8.............. Free for
Yard. Harbor, VHF 9. however they do self
Greenport. winterize. If service;
requested, can $5.00 for
run the pumpout assistanc
in winter e from
conditions. 7 attendant
days/week, 24 .
hours.
60......... Brewer Yacht Greenport 631-477-0828; 5 days/week, 7-8............ N/A
Yard. Harbor, VHF 9. year-round; Mon-
Greenport. Fri 7:30 a.m.-4
p.m.; Sat in
off season 8-
12; Sat in
season 7:30
a.m.-7 p.m.
61......... Brick Cove Southold Harbor, 631-477-0830.... Mar-Dec; Mon- 6.............. Yes, for
Marina. Southold. Fri, 7 a.m.-4 non-
p.m.; Sat 9 marina
a.m.-5 p.m.; customers
Sun 1:30 p.m.-4 .
p.m.
62......... Goldsmith's Boat Southold Bay, 631-765-1600.... Year round; 7 6.............. N/A
Shop. Southold. days/week
(closed Sun in
Jan & Feb);
8:30 a.m.-4:30
p.m. (Sun 9
a.m.-4:30 p.m.).
[[Page 19993]]
63......... Mt. Sinai Yacht Mt. Sinai 631-473-2993; May 15-Oct 1; 20............. None for
Club. Harbor, Mt. VHF 16. May & June, members;
Sinai. open Fri, Sat, $15 for
& Sun; June to outside
Labor Day, open boaters.
7 days/week; 9
a.m.-6 p.m.
64......... Mt. Sinai Marina Mt. Sinai 631-928-0199; Marina: Mother's 6.............. Free
Harbor, Mt. VHF 9 & 73. Day to 1st
Sinai. weekend in Nov.
Pumpout boats:
May to Mid-Sept
(8 a.m.-6 p.m.).
65......... Old Man's Mt. Sinai 631-473-7330.... Apr 15-Oct 15; 8.............. $50 for
Boatyard. Harbor, St. Mon-Fri; 8 a.m.- pumpout.
James. 4 p.m.
66......... Danford's Marina Port Jefferson 631-928-5200; May 1-Oct 31; 7 3-10........... Free
Harbor, Port VHF 9. days/week; 7
Jefferson. a.m.-9 p.m.
67......... Knutson West Huntington 631-549-7842.... N/A............. N/A............ N/A
Marina. Harbor,
Huntington.
68......... Seymour's Northport 631-261-6574.... Apr 15-Oct 31; 7 7.............. N/A.
Boatyard. Harbor, days/week;
Northport. hours vary.
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Based on the above, EPA hereby proposes to make an affirmative
determination that adequate facilities for the safe and sanitary
removal and treatment of sewage from all vessels are available for the
waters of the New York State Long Island Sound. A 30-day period for
public comment has been opened on this matter, and EPA invites any
comments relevant to its proposed determination.
Dated: March 31, 2011.
Judith A. Enck,
Regional Administrator, Region 2.
[FR Doc. 2011-8463 Filed 4-8-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P