Sneaking the Holding Tank Overboard

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by rwidman

If you think you're three miles out and you can't see any other boats, you're three miles out.

will be a strong viewpoint when some offical asks you

[redmirage]

If you dont have a boat with a head where do you go? I try not to pump inside the line but when evey thing is full then what? Shoot the moon over the rail?

[SVMorningStar]

Up till a couple of months ago I would have said never. However we currently have a clogged vent line that we have been unable to clear so far. Soooooo, in order to keep the pressure from building up, we have had to pump overboard a couple of times when we didn't have access to facilities. 5 people can fill a tank in short order. Hate to do it, though.

[capngeo]

Garrison Bight in KW, has a MANDATORY sewer line attached to the boat whenever it is dockside in the live-aboard section. So we stay pumped out most of the time.

But human waste as... um... "generated" is relatively aseptic, but goes septic very fast. If you were to pump as soon as you were done and it went overboard, there is almost no fecal coliform bacteria... But let it sit and "Brew" in the tank for a while and whoa!

[avb3]

Seems the issue is not just sail boats/MV's.

This is apparently starting to be an issue as cruise ships that ply the NW passage to Alaska dump their "used water"

[Stillraining]

I could be wrong but according to how I was told the law interprets this matter...."A Bucket and chuck it" system does not count as natural deposit of waste.....but still is considered a holding vessel/tank..... so therefor is illegal to then toss it over board...

Only way around it is to defecate directly over the rail.....not a pretty site anywhere.

[senormechanico]

I suppose Victoria BC doesn't qualify as a "floating city" so they're exempt...

[avb3]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

I suppose Victoria BC doesn't qualify as a "floating city" so they're exempt...

Perhaps that is the old thing about do as I say and not do as I do?

[sailorboy1]

According to the poll the pump when in the open is catching up to the never. People must be fessing up lately :-)

[Patient]

Voted "Never".

However, I did get a laugh last Moorings Charter in the BVI when the nice gentleman doing the walkthrough discovered that every greywater seacock was open.

He said something to the effect of "These Open in here means Happy fish, sad bottomboys".

[sandy daugherty]

Environmental laws are passed by politicians who are placating the loudest constituents. Someone somewhere will put this poll out on a web site frequented by "loud constituents" and we will have another round of incredibly naive feel-good regulations enforced by police who get promotions based on their fervor.

Go vote with this in mind. Vote often. Let's try to steer those politicians into addressing the real but extremely well funded and defended villains, and not the-bucket-full-on-a-weekend boater. Otherwise those politicians will brush off the real issue with a boast that they did something about the problem. Just EXACTLY this is happening in Maryland at this moment.

[foggysail]

Originally Posted by sandy daugherty

Environmental laws are passed by politicians who are placating the loudest constituents. Someone somewhere will put this poll out on a web site frequented by "loud constituents" and we will have another round of incredibly naive feel-good regulations enforced by police who get promotions based on their fervor.

Go vote with this in mind. Vote often. Let's try to steer those politicians into addressing the real but extremely well funded and defended villains, and not the-bucket-full-on-a-weekend boater. Otherwise those politicians will brush off the real issue with a boast that they did something about the problem. Just EXACTLY this is happening in Maryland at this moment.

I fully agree!!

FOGGY

[osirissail]

Rather than waste your time the best thing to do is to join BoatUS and support their lobbying efforts. BoatUS may be slanted towards power boats and small boats but they have an effective lobbying arm and do get some things to the attention of legislators.

[off-the-grid]

And the insure live aboard! Zero questions asked. According to boatUS there is no such thing as a live aboard. They don't care.

[troymclure]

Got a saniloo (sewage treatment thingy installed aboard).

Part of the reason i got it was the new laws in queensland recently put into place but have since discovered that they are essentially not enforced.

Still feel alot better about just pumping straight over the side with some sort of sewage treatment device though.


And i gotta say I do agree with posters who say that we should be doing everything we can too minimize our impact, thereby ensuring the oceans we all enjoy so much stay healthy which is kinda the win.

Having said that, some people were posting about how it's difficult too find actual evidence about effect of pump outs...


http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/...ic/01Front.pdf

Thats a link to a summary (sure you can find the whole paper somewhere) of a study done by someone in moreton bay on fecal pollution etc etc linked too boaties. And actually the study found no significant pollution due too boats at popular anchorages and they were testing for fecal colliforms.