NC Pumpout Log

One of my cruising guides states that boats passing through North Carolina must carry and maintain a log of pumpouts. The rest of the guides do not mention this. I've heard something about this in the past, but is it true or not?

We have not heard of an official announcement of one as-of yet. It was mentioned a time or two over the past couple of years, however, I do not believe it's a requirement. There will be a lot of procedures put in place like enforcement policy, penalties, measurement of waste at pumpouts stations, etc. before it could be enacted. If they will require us to do it, it jives that they will probably require the pumpout stations to keep a record as well. I suspect, that will be a tall order. Marinas, in general, hate paperwork unless it leads to more revenue. It would then be a logical step to think that there is a lobby that is holding legislation like this back. However, in anticipation of it (and because it's so easy to do), Bess and I already keep an unofficial "log" of Skinny Dippin's pumpouts. It's just a little 4" spiral notepad ($0.99) written in pen with date and location. No record of approximate amount or name of dock person that performed it. Like I said, it's so easy that I figure it's smart for us to go ahead and get used to the idea.

We keep one just in case but I have to tell you that NC could stand to be a little more pump out friendly. We didn't see single readily accessible one in the whole state.

Dave

Dang, Dave. I can name some. ;-)

Just off the top of my head:
Morehead City Yacht Basin
Beaufort Town Docks
Caspers (from memory, but not 100%)
River Dunes
(up river) Northwest Creek, New Bern Grand, Bridgepoint
Joyner Marina

These are just the ones we use in our neighborhood. ;-)

I stand corrected!

Dave

I think there was something about a no pump zone somewhere in NC and boats that operated in the zone had to keep logs? Nice thing about Oregon and Washington, both states support pumpout stations and they install them everywhere and the service is free.

A web search only brings up stuff from three years ago or opinions from boaters. There's supposed to be a no discharge zone on the Cape Fear River and nearby.

Nothing current from official NC sources that I could find.

Logging the pumping of logs?

Crappy idea that I hope does not spread.

magicbus said:

I stand corrected!

Dave

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Hi Dave, At night, I go over to Tom & Bess's boat and drink all their liquor and go there. It saves us on pump-outs tremendously. They get me back by shoving me over-board and floating me back to my swim platform and tying me off.

As long as they tie you off so you know where you are in the morning they have my respect.

Dave

I've learned from other sources that this this law has not been put in place or that enforcement has been suspended. No worry.

However, it appears that Key West (FL) is considering passing a similar law.

Pump-out rule mulled | KeysNews.com

I really don't see this as a big deal. I imagine more and more jurisdictions will require such info. Liveaboards in our marina in Seattle are required to provide pumpout certificates every month. For us, a pumpout gets entered in our log just like any other event. So, if a jurisdiction wants to go through it and track pumpouts, have at it.

THD said:

I really don't see this as a big deal. I imagine more and more jurisdictions will require such info. Liveaboards in our marina in Seattle are required to provide pumpout certificates every month. For us, a pumpout gets entered in our log just like any other event. So, if a jurisdiction wants to go through it and track pumpouts, have at it.

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Some people record everything they do on or to their boats. I'm just not that "anal" (bad pun).

As a practical matter, boaters could easily fake their pumpout logs or they could get a "real" pumpout every few weeks and dump their sewage overboard in the meantime. If I just spend a couple days in NC, who is to say I would have needed a pumpout during that time?

While we would like to think that people don't dump their sewage into the waterways, many folks do and for those who do, enforcement is almost impossible.

Trying to comply with different laws in a dozen states while transiting the AICW would be a pretty big burden on a private boater.

WesK said:

Some people record everything they do on or to their boats. I'm just not that "anal" (bad pun).

As a practical matter, boaters could easily fake their pumpout logs or they could get a "real" pumpout every few weeks and dump their sewage overboard in the meantime. If I just spend a couple days in NC, who is to say I would have needed a pumpout during that time?

While we would like to think that people don't dump their sewage into the waterways, many folks do and for those who do, enforcement is almost impossible.

Trying to comply with different laws in a dozen states while transiting the AICW would be a pretty big burden on a private boater.

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Very true statements......

While a burden...state laws do apply and can be enforced...NJ can and will force you out of their waters if you cannot prove some sort of boating safety course passed. The time frame is usually reasonable ...but still enforced.

Yes tough to regulate but now that I keep a log I've learned we put 100 gallons into a treatment plant rather than the ocean. I read where the county pump out boats in NJ took in 800,000 gallons last summer which was all from boats in the bays. Scary when you think it all went in the bay.

Dave

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

I think there was something about a no pump zone somewhere in NC and boats that operated in the zone had to keep logs? Nice thing about Oregon and Washington, both states support pumpout stations and they install them everywhere and the service is free.

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In California, a pump-out is free if you do it yourself at the many pump-out stations. Still, I've signed up for periodic pump-out for a fee to have someone come to my boat to suck out the holding tank's content.

Well in Alaska, we just pump it over board and let it flow south down the west coast!

magicbus said:

Yes tough to regulate but now that I keep a log I've learned we put 100 gallons into a treatment plant rather than the ocean. I read where the county pump out boats in NJ took in 800,000 gallons last summer which was all from boats in the bays. Scary when you think it all went in the bay.

Dave

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Yes, but much of it was water used for flushing. It wasn't 800,000 gallons of poop.

Many municipal sewage systems routinely leak or overflow raw sewage into bays and rivers. They don't get fined. It's happened a couple times upstream from my marina.

Just think how many gallons of fish and animal poop is in the river or bay!

the law was passed but its not enforced in any way shape or form

magicbus said:

Yes tough to regulate but now that I keep a log I've learned we put 100 gallons into a treatment plant rather than the ocean. I read where the county pump out boats in NJ took in 800,000 gallons last summer which was all from boats in the bays. Scary when you think it all went in the bay.

Dave

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Yep and one storm and a single Jersey towns sewage treatment overrun exceeds all the pumpouts from boats in compliance. NJ from Little Egg North is a NDZ. There is a big difference between discharging treated waste and just pumping raw sewage overboard.
Bill

sailormike said:

the law was passed but its not enforced in any way shape or form

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I just passed through NC and made several stops. Nothing was mentioned about a pumpout or log. Honestly, I had forgotten all about it.

Billylll said:

Yep and one storm and a single Jersey towns sewage treatment overrun exceeds all the pumpouts from boats in compliance. NJ from Little Egg North is a NDZ. There is a big difference between discharging treated waste and just pumping raw sewage overboard.
Bill

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But you said it... a storm causes an overrun but the same storm flushes the bay. You live by a nice open inlet with good tidal change. Once you get north of the LBI bridge and all the way to Toms River the only drainage is through skinny Barnegat Inlet. I well recall the "floaters" in Barnegat Bay before we had holding tanks and before LBI was sewered. The bay has come along way since those days... except for the increase in fertilizer runoff that is.

Dave

Most marinas I've stayed in NC have pump out, however, Caspers charge $30.00/30 gallons. I was shocked !!! I asked why? Well, they said they have to pump you out to a small (30 gal) container, then transport it over to a sewer pipe, then drain it. Its time consuming. Really? Well, I have a 90 gal holding tank so I'll go somewhere else. I cant imagine paying $90.00 for a pump out. So be careful what you ask for. Get the price first. Oh yeah, I do have a pump out log just in case.

Not positive, but I think the one pump out operator told me that the marina had to keep a log; boat name, etc. That was almost 5 years ago on the ICW

magicbus said:

But you said it... a storm causes an overrun but the same storm flushes the bay. You live by a nice open inlet with good tidal change. Once you get north of the LBI bridge and all the way to Toms River the only drainage is through skinny Barnegat Inlet. I well recall the "floaters" in Barnegat Bay before we had holding tanks and before LBI was sewered. The bay has come along way since those days... except for the increase in fertilizer runoff that is.

Dave

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Here is my follow up as usual politicians can not differentiate between the discharge of treated waste by a type 1 or type 2 treatment system. I see no harm in dumping treated waste. I totally agree when it comes to the discharge of untreated waste as in floaters. Now that pretty much everyone in our local cruising area has a type 3 (a holding tank) there should be no discharge of waste in NDZs. My type 1 a Raritan PurSan can only pull black water and treat it from my holding tank a type 3. This way I can legally operate in NDZ's. We get plenty of crap in Little Egg after storms it does not all get purged to the Ocean. Even say it did where would it end up? Probably the same places where we have extensive shoaling like almost out to the LE 3 mile bell. My feeling is the general public would be better served if boats were allowed to have annually inspected type 1 or type 2 treatment systems in addition to a type 3 for when you are in a marina.
After all it is legal to discharge black water past the 3 mile shoreline.
Bill

psneeld said:

While a burden...state laws do apply and can be enforced...NJ can and will force you out of their waters if you cannot prove some sort of boating safety course passed. The time frame is usually reasonable ...but still enforced.

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Why would anybody want to live or boat in NJ?

windmill29130 said:

Why would anybody want to live or boat in NJ?

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I ask myself the same question but I can't sell any of my real estate holdings or I'd be out of here.
Bill