ALBANY (AP) -- Boats on the New York State Canal System are now banned from dumping sewage into the historic waters.
Before the ban announced Thursday, vessels along the 524-mile waterway were allowed to discharge treated sewage from approved marine sanitation devices.
But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Conservation have declared the entire system a "no discharge zone." Boaters are now required to dispose of their sewage at specially designated pump-out stations.
The affected waters include the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Champlain and Oswego canals.
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