Is it legal to throw my old rusted out holding tank overboard offshore? If so how fa

[Bigfish]

Thank you Chris! I don't agree with you about abolishing all plastic quite yet though...

[diver dave]

Here is my 2 cents, worth even less. I have dumped heavy iron manifolds, risers, etc on existing shipwrecks. I used to do it every 4 years, when this iron needed to be replaced. I dove those wrecks and see that heavy metal becomes great (safe) small fish habitats. Ships, military tanks, aerojacks make good debris (after cleanup).

On the other hand. Items like thin, light, large metal items have no value out there. Aircraft, car tires (even bundled), and other light stuff, shown to be not good.
I can't image this SS tank will go away anytime soon, simply will roll around, and is a habitat liability and is simply junk if seen by a diver. So, I vote no.

[chriscritchett]

So...me throwing my junk overboard and cluttering up an otherwise interesting site with a history (wow, this old ship must have been powered by 37 V-8 engines!) - every few years, mind you - is OK, but you doing it once anywhere in the ocean is not. I like this logic.

However, it's entirely possible I'm coming at this from an uneducated position; is there some actual study that says one type of junk makes a better pile than another?

[BandB]

Originally Posted by Bigfish

Hey Lou.. You ever pee in the ocean? Discharge your holding tank way off shore? If everybody in the world did that it wouldn't add up to a hill of beans. Mine is a unique desperate situation in case you cant read. If I xould afford it I'd pay soneibe like you to come down and dispose of it "properly!" How much do you charge? Not an option at the moment... Get it??

Go does that somehow give you the right to be what you've calling others? You've been given options and reject them. That's your choice. You take it 12 miles out and you properly cut holes in it to assure it will sink and stay sunken and you're legal. Your attitude is certainly not the way to elicit the aid of others, however. Now you can insult me too if you wish.

[rwidman]

I find it hard to understand anyone defending the idea of dumping trash in the ocean even though there might already be trash that someone else dumped there. That's like saying it's OK to throw beer cans and bottles overboard.

In this case, the alternative (to dispose of it properly on land) is not only the correct choice, it's the easier and less expensive choice.

To the OP; You pose a question on a web forum and then you argue with the people who answer your question. There's something not right with that. If you want to dump it in the ocean, why did you bother to ask? Why didn't you just go ahead and do it?

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by Bigfish

Thank You PSneeld! Common sense is not completely dead yet...

It is for some I fear.... but some are good guys that love boating but just dont get to see the big picture from where they stand.

Others are just what they are.

As a diver and someone who has helped populate fish reefs with various structures, sure a tiny tank is not usually what is recommended......but often parts come off sinking reef additions, so a small tank just adds like anything else. As long as it is clean and has some nice holes cut in it.....I see no issue other than the law which says no unless approved. So you dont have that going for you.....though hardly sensible.

[Woodland Hills]

Originally Posted by chriscritchett

Let's face it, the reality is no matter what you do with a metal tank it will be better for the world in the long run than purchasing a plastic tank.

If a guy recovering from cancer surgery and living on a mooring in an already-remote part of the country that was just mauled by a hurricane can't get any sympathy on here, holy crap.

Very well said, and my thoughts exactly. You just forgot to mention that he was getting by on SS only........ Damn, this is a tough room!

[psneeld]

Tough would imply a full understanding of the situation.

[diver dave]

Just a 40 gallon round tank becomes a 400 lb roller underwater. Even in 100' of water, 6' seas will cause it to roll around. THERE ARE CREATURES LIVING ON THE BOTTOM!
Also, to even find decent depth where it won't see movement, it would be some 15 miles or more of boating r/t from any dock in Marathon. enuf said.

[Bigfish]

I've seen 1000' within twelve miles of shore...

[BandB]

Originally Posted by psneeld

Tough would imply a full understanding of the situation.

So if people don't agree with you, it's because they don't understand, not because there might be room for multiple opinions on a subject?

[Insequent]

Forget the tank, sell the boat. You can't cover living expenses AND maintain a boat over the longer term on SS. The tank issue is only the beginning....

I don't think dumping a stainless tank overboard is the right thing to do, but its not a hanging offence either IMO.

[Genecop]

Throwing overboard sounds like an easy solution that could have negative consequences to the environment..Taking that path in order to save yourself some additional work and expense isn't something I would do, but to each his own....

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by BandB

So if people don't agree with you, it's because they don't understand, not because there might be room for multiple opinions on a subject?

Dont always assume a general comment involves your posts. But also generically, it is almost impossible in thesevthreads to have a total understanding of all viewpoints and possibilities by their nature.

For everone else...

Anything underwater actually weighs less. If it has some holes in it, the chances of it silting in and settling in one spot are possible too.

I did say if done right which includes selecting a site that if id did roll, it wouldnr be counterproductive to providing habitat.

[BruceK]

Let`s keep in mind the OP`s parlous health. Desperate circumstances may result in desperate ideas, ill health can affect thinking.
Dumping the tank in the water is not a great idea but sometimes people do bad things to get by. Maybe a used holding tank is not tempting to a recycler. Better to find somewhere onshore for it,somehow.

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by BruceK

Let`s keep in mind the OP`s parlous health. Desperate circumstances may result in desperate ideas, ill health can affect thinking.
Dumping the tank in the water is not a great idea but sometimes people do bad things to get by. Maybe a used holding tank is not tempting to a recycler. Better to find somewhere onshore for it,somehow.

On the right track....

I think someone may step up to help.

I wont be there till January, but if I was there now, helping would be my pleasure.

[Dougcole]

I'm going to make some people mad here, but I'm a fisherman.

When you dump it, make note of the coordinates and PM them to me, OK?

Put some weight in it before you do it, whatever you can find. There has to be plenty of smashed concrete in Marathon right now.

I don't think the people on this board understand what has happened in the middle keys. It's a mess there. They are hauling 18 wheeler loads full of debris out of the keys as fast as they can and taking them to the landfill. How is it better to dump it in the landfill than it would be to properly sink it in deep water where it will become habitat?

Hell, the state sunk an entire destroyer off of Pensacola not too many years ago to form a reef. Admittedly, we need to do it the right way, but think out of the box a little bit.

My son and I pulled a limit of lobsters out of an old fridge we know about in the Bahamas last month. There were at least 50 lobster in it along with a bunch of small reef fish.

[psneeld]

Thinking out of the box will just get you lambasted by some here....sorry to be so obvious as following this thread certainly clues anyone in to that concept.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Dougcole

. How is it better to dump it in the landfill than it would be to properly sink it in deep water where it will become habitat?
.

I don't think anyone suggested that.

You are overlooking the choice of taking it to a scrap yard where it will be recycled. And the fact that it may be worth a dollar or two. And the fact that it's probably simpler and cheaper than taking it twelve miles out to sea (and back).

[BandB]

The most expedient solution would still be if there was any way to even do a temporary repair on it. A bladder is an option but probably beyond what he can afford.