Riverhead adds second pump-out boat

Riverhead Town has put a second pump-out boat in the Peconic River to deal with the summer increase in boating.

Town officials said all but $12,080 of the $84,160 cost of the 23-foot boat, which removes sewage from boat holding tanks, will be covered by state and county grants designed to reduce pollution in bays and streams.

Riverhead has provided pump-out service since 2004. The number of boats using it has grown from 334 in 2006 — the earliest numbers available — to 814 last year. The sewage is taken to the Riverhead Sewer District treatment plant for disposal.

The free pump-out service is available to boats in the Peconic River or Peconic Bay by calling the town on VHF channel 73 between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. seven days a week. The town also has two fixed pump-out facilities, one at the town marina in Jamesport and the other on the Peconic River dock behind the Main Street business district.