**** soup

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Few UK boats have holding tanks and pump out stations a bit thin on the ground. What do people do? well use common sense hopefully, but 5 metre tides help.

Yes, common sense, and common courtesy is all that is needed. Like I said, in areas of good flow and volume it's no issue. But in enclosed areas, like the anchorage I'm sitting in right now, it wouldn't take too long to crap up the place if a lot of boats were letting loose. And this place has 1 to 2 metre tides.

[TrentePieds]

In the interests of accuracy and, one hopes, compliance, I give you a precis from Canadain Yachting Magazine. These regulations have been in force since 2012 (Emphasis added by me):

In summary, the new regs allow no sewage discharge of any kind in any waters within one mile of any shore. Discharge of raw sewage in salt water is permitted if the vessel is greater than three miles from any shore. This allows overboard discharge, for example, into the middle of the Strait of Georgia. But most boaters do much of their boating close to shorelines so are caught by these new regulations.

For vessels in restricted waters where there is not sufficient distance between shores, and where there is no pump-out alternative, an exemption allows overboard discharge, as long as it is on an ebb tide, the vessel is in the deepest possible water and it is making its maximum cruising speed in excess of four knots. Overriding this exemption is the caveat that no solid waste can be found on a shoreline, nor can there be any surface sheen resulting from such a discharge.


Where the discharge is said to have occurred there is no discharge permitted. However 3 NM to the noreastward, discharge is permitted. For me 3 NM represents a one hour detour (tour/retour) if I'm bound along the straits, but is of no consequence when crossing the straits.

Tidal flows are quite strong in Porlier Pass. The offender may have thought he could take refuge behind the exemption allowing discharge in deep water on a strong ebb. A flow of 4 knots is common in Porlier, whirlpools are plentiful and the depth of water is some hundreds of feet.

But when staying in compliance is so easy, why be a pain :-)?

TP

[VanIslandGuy]

Originally Posted by nightowle

It's about time Canada changed some laws.

People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

[Tillsbury]

Blimey, over here in NZ it's 12km from shore before you can open your taps...

[RaymondR]

Worst instance I have observed was a prawn trawler in Mackay harbour. The discharge was well above water level and on the side tied to the floating pontoon. Everything being dumped was forming a pile on the pontoon.