No Discharge Zones (NDZs)

Boat sewage discharge is banned in all Massachusetts waters.

Boat sewage can contain bacteria and viruses, nutrients, and chemicals that can be harmful to water quality and public health. No Discharge Zones, or NDZs, are designated bodies of water where the discharge of all boat sewage, whether treated or not, is prohibited. In 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the state’s designation of all of Massachusetts waters as an NDZ—capping 22 years of extensive work by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and coastal communities and their partners to ensure the necessary waste pumpout facilities are available for boaters to use.

Index of NDZ Information

The following information is available on No Discharge Zones in Massachusetts:

• Benefits of NDZs
• Requirements for Boaters in NDZs
• Massachusetts NDZ map (PDF 1 MB)
• Boat Pumpout Information
  • Massachusetts Pumpout Facilities
  • Interactive Map of Massachusetts Pumpout Locations for Recreational Boats (created with Google^TM Maps)
  • Interactive Map of Massachusetts Pumpout Locations for Commercial Vessels (created with Google^TM Maps)
  • South Shore Vessel Pumpout Evaluation and Outreach Plan (PDF, 2 MB)
  • Upper North Shore Regional Boat Waste Pumpout Plan (PDF, 440 KB)
• Designating an NDZ
• Enforcement in NDZs
• History of NDZs in Massachusetts

For information on clean boating, see:

• CZM's Clean Boating and Marinas Web Pages
• Massachusetts Clean Marina Guide