The Navy won't be fined by the state for discharging 7,000 gallons of wastewater from the USS Port Royal, which was grounded on a reef for nearly four days last month.

An official says under the federal Clean Water Act the state Health Department has "no jurisdiction over a Navy warship."

The guided-missile cruiser released the wastewater to prevent it from backing up and endangering the crew while the ship remained aground on a coral reef and rock.

The Navy had initially failed to notify the state of the discharge, which Navy officials said consisted mostly of seawater used to flush the waste.