Capacity of holding tanks and water tanks

[malbert73]

Great points by all. Legality aside, in large well flushing bodies of water it doesnt matter. That said, I think the best solution which I plan to use to replace my below vberth holding tank with macerator, complexity, etc- is a gravity drain holding tank with no y valve. When offshore, can leave valve open and all sewage will just go in top and out bottom of tank. When anchored in a harbor i can be courteous and reduce the number of "brown harbor trout" by using tank. When back out sailing I can drain again.

Truly, I think the right thing to do is to use the tank in small harbors. Drain when offshore again.

Here on chesapeake bay estuary, nutrient overloading is a problem. Likely 95+% is from farm and municipal runoff, but using a tank is mandatory and any kittle bit counts


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[Badsanta]

I believe the case has been well made that the industrial and municipal run off of sewage and trash is the cause for most of the problem, it's just easer to blame it on boats.
Imagine the outrage in the states if ever septic system had to be inspected and tested. It's easer to require holding tanks and locked discharges. Even if boats are not the problem.
Yes I have a holding tank and everything goes to the tank.

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[DefinitelyMe]

Originally Posted by accomplice

I believe that Bermuda law prohibits discharge within 12nm. According to the Bermuda department of tourism, violations are prosecuted. I'm not sure that a full 12nm is really needed, but some bays (e.g. St. George's Bay) don't recycle their water often.

Oddly, although Bermuda bans boats from discharge within 12nm, the sewage from Bermuda undergoes only preliminary treatment before discharge between 700meters and 1600 meters from shore.

Yes you are correct Accomplice, the law does indeed state that and it really bothers me. In fact, i believe the cruising guide to Bermuda states that all boats coming here must have a holding tank. The reality is that none of it is true; the only boats that do have holding tanks are the visiting US yachts and local boats that originated in the US and whose owners haven't removed the holding tank. There are no pump-out facilities here, and no-one has been prosecuted. In the meantime, i wonder how many cruisers are passing our lovely island by just because they have read the guide book, don't have a holding tank and think they therefore don't have the option of visiting......

Regarding sewage treatment, yes your information is also accurate on that count, but it's a little more complicated than you make out. I could go into it in depth but i'm sure no-one else here really wants to hear all about Bermudian poop! The long and the short of it is that the amount of untreated sewage entering the sea is in fact very small (only a handful of hotels), the water quality is monitored closely (the discharge pipe discharges onto a reef, and we like to make sure our reefs are healthy) and there are no risks associated with sewage here, either to the marine environment or public health. The subterranean water table is another matter entirely; that is in trouble, mainly due to pharmaceuticals, heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from used motor oil that was dumped into holes in the ground pre-80s before there was any official method of disposal (and before anyone really cared about environmental husbandry). Fortunately someone is doing something about it now. Preliminary trials of cleanup methods are underway and are looking promising.

[DefinitelyMe]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Every time I read a review of a boat, holding tank capacity is stated. Yes, I'm reading about boats sold in the USA so perhaps ones made for sale in third world countries don't have sewage storage or treatment options.

Wow. Just....... wow! Is there really any need to be insulting? Or is it that you genuinely think the world outside the US is 'third world'? Have you visited any of the countries you're insulting?

[Wanderlust]

Originally Posted by DefinitelyMe

.... the amount of untreated sewage entering the sea is in fact very small (only a handful of hotels) ....

How many cruising boats do you think that would equal?

And that happens close to shore?

[DefinitelyMe]

Originally Posted by Wanderlust

How many cruising boats do you think that would equal?

And that happens close to shore?

Well, that depends on how many people are staying in the hotels! I don't know what the actual amount is but i used to work as a commercial diver out here and have a background in ecology. I once had the job of inspecting the pipeline for structural integrity and environmental impact, and was surprised at the lack of anything substantial coming out of the end of the pipe. Just looked like water to me, and there is no noticeable impact on the corals (either positive or negative) growing right by the outlet pipe. The reason it's close to shore is that the discharge pipe is on the South side of the island. Less than 1 mile from shore, the reef ends and the depth plummets to hundreds of feet very quickly. It wouldn't be practical, or have any great benefit, to extend the pipe further out and into these depths, and it's discharging into a completely exposed area with constant water movement. Have a look at a chart of Bermuda and you'll see what i mean. It's a lovely dive site actually, quite near the wreck of an old steamer that went down in the 1940s.

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Every time I read a review of a boat, holding tank capacity is stated. Yes, I'm reading about boats sold in the USA so perhaps ones made for sale in third world countries don't have sewage storage or treatment options.

Ron,

Probably 80% of the private and charter boats in the world don't have holding tanks. Few of them are in third world countries. For example, charter boats in the Caribbean don't have holding tanks. I have never seen a holding tank in the BVI's but I'm sure there are some. The charter companies tell people to put the used TP in a trash bag and dispose that ashore as garbage. The rest goes into the drink. This system does not cause rampant disease.

[catmer]

I don't know what world country but Turkey is part of Med.When I see a boat dumping s..t in a quiet bay I just take a photo with boat in action and call the coast guard and enjoy the moment when owner is charged no less then 5.000usd.Btw almost every marina has pump out stations in Turkey and mostly free of charge,holding tank or no discussion was over more then 10 years ago

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by catmer

I don't know what world country but Turkey is part of Med.When I see a boat dumping s..t in a quiet bay I just take a photo with boat in action and call the coast guard and enjoy the moment when owner is charged no less then 5.000usd.Btw almost every marina has pump out stations in Turkey and mostly free of charge,holding tank or no discussion was over more then 10 years ago

That's a very unique way to enjoy your Turkish holiday... underwater photography of boats dumping poop.

[Rubikoop]

Originally Posted by transmitterdan

Ron,



For example, charter boats in the Caribbean don't have holding tanks. I have never seen a holding tank in the BVI's but I'm sure there are some. The charter companies tell people to put the used TP in a trash bag and dispose that ashore as garbage. The rest goes into the drink. This system does not cause rampant disease.

Which charter companies are you using in the BVI that don't have holding tanks? What year were you last on a charter boat there?

I'm not aware of any municipal sewage treatment plants in the BVI nor have I ever heard of anybody contracting a disease from swimming in the local waters.



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[transmitterdan]

It's been about 5 years since we chartered in BVI. I don't remember seeing any pump out stations so even if a boat had a holding tank there was only one way to empty it. The charter companies didn't want to deal with the tanks.

[NZGrant]

A question for the composters out there. How do you dispose of whats left in your composting heads ? As being human waste does it not have to be treated in some fashion or do you just chuck it overboard ?


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[Badsanta]

Dont they just throw it overboard when no one is looking and don't drop that
jug-o- pee you also have to deal with. Its not all compost.

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[Wotname]

The irony of this thread when compared to this one
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...er-146486.html