Mosquito Creek State Park gets fed money to keep waterway clean

COLUMBUS — Ohio is among 28 states that will share $14.6 million in Clean Vessel Act grant awards to fund construction and installation of sewage pump-out facilities and floating restrooms for recreational boaters, according to a recent announcement by U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

A total of $248,625 has been awarded to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Watercraft, which plans to install sewage pump out facilities at five locations — Mosquito Creek Lake State Park in Trumbull County, Catawba Landing in Ottawa County, Caesar Creek State Park in Warren County, Delaware State Park Marina in Delaware County, and the Vermilion Yacht Club in Lorain County.

Since the program was created in the early 1990s, more than $163 million has been awarded to states to install thousands of sewage pump-out stations. Since 1999, the ODNR Division of Watercraft has used CVA funding to construct and install more than 100 sewage pump-out facilities across the Lake Erie region. Additionally, CVA funding provides for the purchase of mobile sewage pump-out boats, floating restrooms and pump-out stations in high-use areas of lakes and coastal waters.