The New London Day • 5/17/2011

Stonington — A demonstration of the new $55,000 pumpout emptying station at Stonington Borough sewage treatment plant, 2 High St., will take place at 5 p.m. Sunday.

The construction project is a collaborative effort by the town, the Stonington Harbor Commission and CUSH Inc., with grant funding from state Department of Environmental Protection. CUSH, or Clean Up Stonington Harbors, provided $11,000 toward the project. The new facility will improve pumpout service to boats in Stonington and Watch Hill harbors as well as the Pawcatuck River.

These areas are serviced by two Town of Westerly-sponsored pumpout boats that empty into Westerly’s sewer system, a two-hour round trip.  The Stonington facility will reduce the number of trips required, enabling faster service to boaters. Westerly pumpout boats kept 43,000 gallons of untreated sewage out of local waters in 2010, according to DEP records.

Half the new dock will house the harbormaster’s boat and be paid for by the Stonington Harbor Management Commission.  The other half will remain open for pumpout boat use during offloading.