Looking for a Pumpout? There’s an App for That

For years, decades really, boaters on California’s waterways relied on paper maps to show the location of marinas and boatyards with sewage pumpout facilities. Ideally, the maps noted the correct locations of marinas with pumpouts, and whenever there was a lasting change a new map, published about every other year, reflected it. In reality though, much of the information was unreliable. And when something was incorrect there was no quick way for marinas to share updates with boaters. Out-of-service pumpouts could frustrate one boater after another for days or even weeks, before a marina operator could resolve the problem.

About two years ago, the San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP), which manages grant-funded projects related to water quality, invasive species and environmental remediation in the Bay Area, began looking for a “revolutionary way” for boaters to access information related to sewage pumpouts. The SFEP naturally sought to draw upon the local talent pool in Silicon Valley. SFEP already published a quarterly survey on Bay Area pumpouts, covering things like a pumpout’s signage, the conditions of its parts, and gauges of its working condition. The vision here was more dynamic; a web-based app that noted pumpout locations and operational status in real-time.

In addition to allowing boaters to find pumpouts more easily, a web-based tool could also help marina operators by giving them access to information that could increase the efficiency of active pumpouts. A mobile app could offer boaters information on the location of pumpouts, while at the same time alert marina operators about the status of their pumpouts based on real-time feedback.

Last year, the vision started to become a reality, thanks to a Clean Vessel Act grant provided through the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW), the federal Sport Fish Restoration, and the Boating Trust Fund.

Working together through 2016, the SFEP and California DBW joined forces and began brainstorming and soliciting bids from software teams in the Bay Area. Once they found the right partner they worked on designing the app. They went through a series of demonstrations, and then trial launched it.

Pumpout Nav Launch

The months of hard work by the SFEP and California DBW team culminated in the release of the Pumpout Nav app. On April 1, 2017, the app launched as a free download, available on Android through the Google Play store and iOS via the Apple store.

At the most basic level, Pumpout Nav provides a tool for boaters to find pumpouts. In a glance, it shows a pumpout’s location and its status. If all is well, a pumpout will appear as a green place marker and once a user taps on the marker the station will read “operational.” In the event that a boater encounters problems, they can click on a sad face icon to report a non-operational pumpout in real-time. A series of press and report icons—“no power,” “low vacuum,” “leaking,” “broken parts,” and “no access”—offer convenient ways to flag problems. Below the app’s location box and the status bars, there is a text box where a boater can enter a description of any problems they might have encountered. They can also click on a paperclip icon to upload images. For marinas, they have access to the system, allowing them to track usage data and post updates.

At present, Pumpout Nav covers 11 counties in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sacramento Delta, as well as five counties in Southern California. Its availability is limited to mobile phones and tablets running iOS and Android operating systems. (It is not currently available for desktops or laptops.)

In the four months since the launch, Pumpout Nav has been downloaded by 250 boaters and counting., and the California DBW team said it is already fielding compliments from users. “Slick” is how one boater described it to Vivian Matuk, environmental boating program coordinator at the California DBW, who said the compliment was “like music to my ears.”

Moreover, several marinas have reached out to SFEP or California DBW, asking to be added to Pumpout Nav. Their pumpout stations are now included on the app.

One of the more common uses among marina operators is as a maintenance tool. When a boater using the app comes across a pumpout that is not operational, they can use Pumpout Nav to generate a flag that notifies the marina manager and the local Clean Vessel Act Program. Marina operators find out more quickly if a pumpout is out and can begin the process of inspecting the pumpout. Sometimes the problem is a maintenance issue that is a quick fix. If, however, it is a more serious issue, marina managers may find out about the problem sooner thanks to Pumpout Nav. They then may be able to apply for funding from the local Clean Vessel Act Program. Either way, the rapid feedback generated by boaters using the app helps marina operators to make sure the sewage pumpout systems are operating properly.

From California to the Carolinas

Soon the number of Pumpout Nav users will likely grow—SFEP and California DBW hope by a lot. For one, California DBW just launched a marketing campaign to promote Pumpout Nav. And California DBW will attend SOBA’s Boating Access Conference at the Hilton in Anchorage, Alaska, this August. At the conference members of the California DBW and SFEP will present the app to other CVA participating regions across the nation, and invite them to participate.

There is no cost for other states to join Pumpout Nav; California will continue hosting, maintainin, and updating the app even as it spreads across state lines. Matuk explains that it is a goal of the SFEP and California DBW to help maximize the the impact of the CVA grant money by getting the Pumpout Nav app to be used by as many boaters and marina operators as possible.

“The coolest part about this endeavor is that although the app is starting in California and has information for 16 counties, it was always meant to grow,” Matuk said. “That is how we designed it.”

Marinas interested in Pumpout Nav, as well as updates on the pumpout program, can find out more at: http://www.sfestuary.org/clean-vessel-act-grant-program/