Overboard Discharge Elimination Program
General information
The program provides grants for the removal of individual overboard discharges of wastewater. Overboard discharges must be legally licensed by the Department of Environmental Protection. Projects which remove discharges from shellfishing areas or cause nuisance conditions will be given priority. Grants may also be available to fund other removal projects as required by law.
Funding details
Funding application timeline
Grant eligibility
A municipality (a city or town government) or a sanitary or sewer district may apply for and be awarded a grant to remove some or all of the overboard discharges within their jurisdiction. Individual owners of overboard discharges may also apply directly for a removal grant, although individuals can only be reimbursed after the work is complete and all bills paid. Grants can only be awarded if the project plans are approved by the Department of Environmental Protection before the project is constructed.
The grant program priorities, from highest to lowest, are:
Priority 1: Shellfish or Water Quality - The discharge will be removed from an area certified as a shellfish area by the Maine Department of Marine Resources or a Local Shellfish Committee, or because the OBD is causing a public nuisance as defined by the rules in Chapter 594.
Priority 2: Property Transfer or Significant Action – The discharge is being removed because a technologically proven alternative has been found during a property transfer or a significant action as required by 38 MRSA §413.
Priority 3: Voluntary Removal – The discharge is being voluntarily replaced with a cost effective alternative disposal method, in an area not included in Priority 1.
Priority 1 projects will receive a grant commitment prior to construction if funds are available. Priority 2 and 3 projects will be reimbursed if additional funds become available after all Priority 1 projects have been completed. Priority 2 projects are required by law to be completed regardless of the availability of grant funding.