My practices when it comes to sewage

There's been a lot of discussion of policies and laws and dumping by cities and everything else, but this isn't asking for opinions, just asking what you actually do. All anonymous.

My marina has a pumpout at the fuel dock and mobile service, both that I use when around. We use available pumpout stations when needed and haven't had any issues finding them in WA. If in Canada, pump holding tank overboard.

I cannot even do it in fact, I need to be pumped out, no other way to empty the black water tank as it is forbidden here it is not even allowed to have a connected discharge thru-hull.

Greetings,
Never discharged overboard since we've been boating (about 40 years). Always pump out.

I think that your poll needs a few more options to fully capture the situation. We never pump sewage overboard in bays and inlets like Narragansett or the Ct River. But I do pump overboard in the middle of LI Sound. A related poll might be: Do you have a functioning pump out nearby?

No name ;-)

djmarchand said:

I think that your poll needs a few more options to fully capture the situation. We never pump sewage overboard in bays and inlets like Narragansett or the Ct River. But I do pump overboard in the middle of LI Sound. A related poll might be: Do you have a functioning pump out nearby?

No name ;-)

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Was what you dumped in LI sound treated or not? If not then you fit the 3rd choice. Yes, the pump out question might be another poll. But this one isn't seeking reasons, just actions.

I pump out pretty much every day in SE Alaska, but I do it in the most open water available and when underway. Never in anchorages or harbors. Technically this is illegal, practically it is the only option since municipalities with (working) pumpout facilities are few and far between.

Always use a pump out facility. Wouldn't even consider pumping O/B.
The Great Lakes is one big NDZ.

Straight flush always beats a full house.

We always pump out never overboard. We have a pump out at our marina but it has been winterized until this past Saturday. We needed to pump out in the worst way. I knew we were getting close to full but didn't know it was this bad. I used the head sometime during the night on Friday and Saturday morning we were within 2" from the toilet rim. I eased the boat over to the pump out only to find out they were still winterized . They were planning on getting it ready this week . I told them I would help out getting it ready if they would . Luckily they didn't mind and we were pumped out within the hour . Saved our weekend .

I would think unless someone cruises offshore a lot or has a type 1 MSD, the answers will come back as pumpout heavy...

Unless a bunch want to declare they are breaking the law.....

Now we always pump out, unless in areas of BC where there are no pumpout facilities, then we discharge overboard legally.

A few decades ago (longer?) when overboard discharge was banned in the Puget Sound yet before there were pumpout facilities, we sometimes had to discharge overboard. There simply wasn't an option within a couple hours run of where we boat. Never do that now however.

We have a treatment system on board, and a holding tank.

I never use pump outs. Thats why we have a treatment system.

But... there are no EPA restricted waters in Alaska for pleasure boats

This poll is a bit like a poll asking people how often they beat their wives (or husbands). Somehow, I have the feeling that it's not going to be very accurate.

psneeld said:

I would think unless someone cruises offshore a lot or has a type 1 MSD, the answers will come back as pumpout heavy...

Unless a bunch want to declare they are breaking the law.....

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So far it's 50/50 it appears.

I use Incinolet toilets. No mess, no fuss, no macerator pump failures, no plugged sewage lines. My current boat had 3 marine heads. I was looking at MSDs, but about that time the early news of ND zones in Puget Sound was being talked about. Since the fed and state EPAs only get worse, I assumed MSDs would be illegal and didn't want a tank full of crap aboard anyway, or finding a pump out where I could fit, etc.

Lepke said:

I use Incinolet toilets. No mess, no fuss, no macerator pump failures, no plugged sewage lines. My current boat had 3 marine heads. I was looking at MSDs, but about that time the early news of ND zones in Puget Sound was being talked about. Since the fed and state EPAs only get worse, I assumed MSDs would be illegal and didn't want a tank full of crap aboard anyway, or finding a pump out where I could fit, etc.

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Please share more of your Incinolet experience to this point. I had never heard of them, but they certainly look interesting.

BandB said:

Please share more of your Incinolet experience to this point. I had never heard of them, but they certainly look interesting.

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I remember using one some time ago and the smell would make me give up boating

Pack Mule said:

We always pump out never overboard. We have a pump out at our marina but it has been winterized until this past Saturday. We needed to pump out in the worst way. I knew we were getting close to full but didn't know it was this bad. I used the head sometime during the night on Friday and Saturday morning we were within 2" from the toilet rim. I eased the boat over to the pump out only to find out they were still winterized . They were planning on getting it ready this week . I told them I would help out getting it ready if they would . Luckily they didn't mind and we were pumped out within the hour . Saved our weekend .

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Thanks for that! Now I know too much ?!

When we first bought our boat the previous owner told me that he kept the boat set up with one head as a "pee toilet" that went directly overboard ... and the 2nd head went to the holding tank. He also told me that although no one talked about it, a lot of the other people in the marina did the same. I've always been curious if that was a common practice anywhere else.

When in Puget Sound, always use pumpouts. When in BC, we pump overboard while travelling in deep water with good currents and well offshore.

BlueSky said:

When we first bought our boat the previous owner told me that he kept the boat set up with one head as a "pee toilet" that went directly overboard ... and the 2nd head went to the holding tank. He also told me that although no one talked about it, a lot of the other people in the marina did the same. I've always been curious if that was a common practice anywhere else.

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I have never hear of this. Of course my boat and most of my friend's boats have only one head. Or none.

What I have heard of, which sounds both stupid and gross to me is, putting used toilet paper in a plastic bag, not flushing it, and then carrying it around on the boat until they get back to the marina.

Peeing into a toilet that dumps directly overboard is illegal. Peeing directly overboard without going through a toilet (or bucket or funnel) first is not.

Figure that one out.

The only time I turned on the macerator for overboard discharge(20+ miles off the east coast) I burnt up the pump!

Now we have a new through hull, a new macerator, but I haven't gotten around to buying the little bit of hose needed to connect the two since we've always pumped out at whatever marina we're in... probably never will...

Giggitoni said:

Thanks for that! Now I know too much ��!

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You California boys don't have to concern yourself with winterizing . We've had a mild winter and have been down to the boat a bunch . We're at a state park and they usually don't get the pump out ready until sometime in April .

Well a choice is missing. We dump legally 12+ miles offshore if needed. Otherwise it's a pump out.

hjorgan said:

Well a choice is missing. We dump legally 12+ miles offshore if needed. Otherwise it's a pump out.

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That is choice #1, you never dump illegally.

Here in Queensland the rules are complicated. Part of them is covered in the attached doc.

Marina's are required to provide sewage facilities, but having onshore facilities meets that requirement. They usually require key access so are not always accessible. There are only 33 marinas listed with pumpouts in the State. I would think this is a lot less than half the number of marinas. I have never used a pumpout since bringing my boat back home to Queensland.

I have an ElectroScan and use it as much as possible. However, I believe it would only be regarded as Class B provided it was regularly tested by an independent certifier. There is not much to be gained from that certification for my area of operation, so from a legal perspective its output is considered untreated sewage. Thus even using it I have to follow the limits for untreated sewage. The distance limit gained would vary up to a max of 1nm.

Fortunately there are places I can legally discharge untreated sewage en route to my favourite anchorages. Annoyingly, one of those anchorages permits untreated discharge. I never discharge there and I hope that other boaters do likewise!

I hold and treat. Usually hold in marinas and anchorages and then treat a discharge when under way.

johnrupp said:

I hold and treat. Usually hold in marinas and anchorages and then treat a discharge when under way.

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Thats what we have.

Turn it to no discharge in tha harbopr, and set it to auto when we leave.

Flush and forget.

psneeld said:

I would think unless someone cruises offshore a lot or has a type 1 MSD, the answers will come back as pumpout heavy...

Unless a bunch want to declare they are breaking the law.....

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I think it's the same 60% who said they would NEVER vote for Trump.