Mobile Pumpout
Mobile Pumpout
Charleston Waterkeeper is proud to offer a mobile pumpout service in the lower Charleston Harbor. Our pumpout boat, the Number 2, will come to your slip or location at anchorage and pump out your onboard sanitary waste holding tank. The Mobile Pumpout Program provides boaters with a free, convenient, and legal way to dispose of sewage from sanitary waste tanks.
We provide a mobile pumpout service to remove sanitary waste from boat holding tanks in a safe, convenient, and legal way.
How it Works
To request a pumpout call please complete the following form: Pumpout Request Form. Pumpouts are performed once per week on weekends. All requests for pumpout service must be received by 5 pm on Friday.
After we complete your pumpout, we will send you an email confirming your pumpout was completed. If you have any questions, please call (843) 608-9287.
Boat owners do not need to be present and there is no charge for pumpout service.
When the Number 2’s holding tank is full, we pump out at the City Marina’s shoreside pumpout station. From there the sewage is sent to Charleston Water System’s Plum Island sewage treatment plant for proper treatment.
Why Pumpout?
Simply put, it is the right thing to do! Discharging untreated sewage into Charleston’s Waterways is illegal. Even most marine head systems provide only a minimal level of treatment for sanitary waste. For example, treated discharges from US Coast Guard approved Type I and Type II marine sanitation devices still exceed South Carolina’s water quality standards for safe swimming and shellfish harvesting. Untreated and minimally treated sewage discharges from boats jeopardize our ability to safely swim and harvest shellfish from our local waterways. Using Charleston Waterkeeper’s mobile pumpout service is a great way to help protect Charleston’s waterways!
Proper disposal of marine sewage is only one way boaters can help protect Charleston’s waterways. Learn about other responsible boating practices in Charleston County’s Recreational Boater Education Booklet.
SCDNR Clean Vessel Act Program
Charleston Waterkeeper is proud to offer the Mobile Pumpout Program in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources’ Clean Vessel Act Program. The program supports a portion of the costs associated with the operation and maintenance of shoreside and mobile pumpout facilities. The program also provides resources and outreach to encourage environmentally responsible boating practices. SCDNR’s Clean Vessel Act Program and Charleston Waterkeeper are working to “Keep our Waters Clean.”
See this Program in Action
