Washington State proposed NDZ

[Lepke]

Washington State EPA is proposing establishing a NO Discharge Zone that includes all of Puget Sound, Hood Canal, Admiralty Inlet,San Juan Islands and Bellingham, etc., to the Canadian border. That means a holding tank. They are asking for email comments here: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/nonpoint/CleanBoating/nodischargezone.html
If you transit these waters as I do, you may want to comment. For me it would mean removing a fuel or water tank and cost thousands of dollars.
I would no longer do maintenance in Seattle.
Pdf map attached.
Lepke

[Cheechako]

yeah, saw this on the news....does anyone really not use a holding tank anymore? Allowing discharge just because you mash up your waste and add chemicals to it never made much sense to me anyway.
Not that I'm for this at all... There they are on the news down at the marina talking about controling the final 5% of waste from boats, nobody is on the docks or using their boats, most boats rarely get used, much less, dump overboard while they do.. unless they are long term cruisers.
Meanwhile, the City of Seattle dumps millions(that's right millions) of gallons of raw sewage in the Sound every year. Go figure. Why dont these news people ever ask the HARD questions? Like "doing you really think worrying about this final small bit of boat discharge is a priority when the local communities dump millions in?"

[Aussiesuede]

The MSD requirements do not apply to vessels that do not have installed toilets (e.g., vessels with "porta-potties"). So if one doesn't desire a holding tank, and is less than 65' loa, then they can remove the toilet and instead carry a cheap porta-potty.

[Dhillen]

Lepke,

Thanks for the heads up on this. I went to the link and sent them an email voicing my displeasure at such a ridiculous proposal. All concerned boaters should do the same. They are shutting the door on us, folks and pretty soon the freedoms you take for granted on the water will be but a distant memory.

I encourage anyone who can find Puget Sound on a map to go to the link and tell them where to put their holding tank.

Cheers.

Dhillen

[minaret]

I'm all for it, as long as it affects everyone equally. That means commercial vessels too. I've seen large fishing boats and even cruise ships dump thousands of gallons of raw sewage in the sound, and once in the ship canal. Personally I've never dumped anything at all in the sound, and can't imagine having a boat with no holding tank around here. It'd be nice if the NDZ regulations would eventually affect shore based sewage discharge too. What's good for the goose is good for the gander, maybe we could set a precedent?

[Strait Shooter]

+1

I'm with Minaret on this one. It's just good practice anyway and getting back to the shore based problem is imperative. This could be another tool.
I'm sympathetic to the plight of those without a holding tank, not sure what the best solution would be in that case.

[LakeSuperior]

Welcome to our world (Great Lakes). It's been that way for 40 years up here. It's a good thing. BTW, my Dad always said, "Don't worry about everyone else (City of Seattle), just worry about yourself."

Oh and Porta-potties are incredibly evil foul inventions.

[kbudd]

I'm obviously in the minority here but I don't think anyone has a right to dump their sewage into waters that everyone uses.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by kbudd

I'm obviously in the minority here but I don't think anyone has a right to dump their sewage into waters that everyone uses.

Ditto.

[MichaelC]

I used to be a 'bucket and chuck it' guy, but I no longer agree with it, unless you are more than 12 miles out in the ocean. However, as long as one municipality continues to expel polluted water into the Sound, pointing to boaters is like pointing to food stamps to cure the deficit. Both positions are idiotic. My schooner will have the Nature's Head that I have been using shore for four years. I do not mind putting the composted remains into a garbage bag and storing it for weeks until I am at a shore station where I can drop it into the dumpster. These 'laws', however, are part of the way the corporate media uses scapegoats to avoid dealing with the more difficult issue of municipal and corporate pollution. If we do not yell and scream about this, it will just continue.

[senormechanico]

But it's OK for Seattle and Victoria, right?

[Boatguy30]

In Florida, everyone blames the boaters. The truth is city systems dump million of gallons annually by accident or thru strom overflows. I would imagine it is the same in the PNW.

Boaters contribute a tiny, tiny fraction but I'm not saying it's not a tiny, tiny problem. If the shore facilities are up to snuff certainly the boaters need to do their part.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

In Florida, everyone blames the boaters. The truth is city systems dump million of gallons annually by accident or thru strom overflows. I would imagine it is the same in the PNW.

Boaters contribute a tiny, tiny fraction but I'm not saying it's not a tiny, tiny problem. If the shore facilities are up to snuff certainly the boaters need to do their part.

Why has it got to be "if the shore facilities are up to snuff"? Why not just take the high road and go ahead and do our part? Maybe others would follow suit, and it certainly would give us better grounds for argument. No point in sinking to their level, and two wrongs don't make a right...

[Viking Sailor]

Originally Posted by Aussiesuede

The MSD requirements do not apply to vessels that do not have installed toilets (e.g., vessels with "porta-potties"). So if one doesn't desire a holding tank, and is less than 65' loa, then they can remove the toilet and instead carry a cheap porta-potty.

What are you going to do when the marina has a rule that forbids transporting human waste on their docks, across their property, and dumping in into their toilets? These are the same marinas that wont let you use a Coast Guard approved MSD while in their marina. And, this has been implemented even in areas that are not part of a NDZ.

[Viking Sailor]

Originally Posted by MichaelC

My schooner will have the Nature's Head that I have been using shore for four years. I do not mind putting the composted remains into a garbage bag and storing it for weeks until I am at a shore station where I can drop it into the dumpster.

So, where are you going to store the gallons of urine that is not part of the compost? Urine is considered human waste and can't be discharged in a NDZ.