The following best management practices regarding vessel discharge of sewage are available for review:

Pumpout Installation ... Pumpout Operation ... No-Discharge Areas ... Education ... Enforcement ... Signs

Objectives:

• Install pumpout, dump station, and rest room facilities where necessary to reduce the release of sewage to surface waters.
• Design pumpout facility to allow ease of access and post signage to promote use by boating public.
• Ensure that sewage pumpout facilities are maintained in operational condition and are used.
• Institute public education/outreach/training programs for boaters to prevent improper disposal of polluting material.

Purpose:

Provide boating facility operators several options that they can apply within their facilities to eliminate the discharge of untreated sewage from their tenants' vessels.

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Discussion:

The discharge of untreated sanitary waste has commonly been addressed as a concern in marine environments. Studies have documented a correlation between boating activity and elevated levels of fecal coliform, especially in areas of poor flushing. (Milliken and Lee, 1990; JRB Associates, 1980). A study in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, identified significant increases in fecal coliform bacteria during high boat use times (Gaines, 1990). This was also documented in studies conducted in Rhode Island's Block Island Great Salt Pond between 1986 and 1991. Although accurate measurements for the volume of boater discharge are difficult to make, the Narragansett Bay Project estimates that 3.9 million gallons of sanitary waste could be discharged in Narragansett Bay in a single boating season (NBP, 1991). Even if only a fraction of this potential occurs, the illegal discharge of untreated waste is an existing problem.

The predominant concern is the impact that sewage, from urban sources and boats, has on shellfish that are harvested and sold for human consumption. Because of this potential health problem, water quality is closely monitored through measurements of levels of fecal coliform, which are used to indicate the levels of potential pathogens in the water column resulting from waste from warm-blooded animals. These bacteria can cause acute gastroenteritis, hepatitis, typhoid, and cholera (Milliken and Lee, 1990). Areas where fecal coliform reaches unsafe levels are closed to shellfishing. Other health concerns also exist. One boat discharging illegally as it transits the bay may not have significant impact, as the effluent is rapidly diluted. However, in harbors where boats congregate, total input of untreated sewage is increasing, having significant impact. This problem is compounded by the fact that boaters are drawn to closed harbors, which inherently do not provide adequate flushing. Problems can exist for swimmers and others who come in direct contact with water in these congested areas.

Since the adoption of the Clean Water Act in 1972, it has been illegal to discharge untreated waste into coastal waters. Legally, waste has to travel through a Marine Sanitation Device (MSD), before discharge or be held in a holding tank, until such a time that it can be pumped out or discharged offshore. However, it was difficult to enforce this regulation when there were few or no vessel MSD pumpout stations available to boaters. Consequently, it was not uncommon to find improperly equipped boats or incorrectly used MSDs. This situation improved as pumpouts began to be installed in marinas and town-operated facilities as boating populations increased and impacts on water quality became an issue.

Pumpout installation was further spurred on by the advent of harbor management plans, which require each community to address the location and installation timetable for pumpout facilities. Each approved harbor management plan discusses how the community is going to reduce the amount of untreated waste being discharged in its harbor areas from boats. For most communities, two options exist: reduce the number of boats in the water, or install pumpout facilities for the boaters to use. The result has been a dramatic increase in the number of pumpout stations in Rhode Island. In 1990, the Rhode Island Marine Trade Association reported that only five marinas operated pumpout stations (NBP, 1991). Today, there are 14 operating pumpout stations and numerous more sites planned for construction (RI DEM, 1993). The current trend, in Rhode Island and across the country, is to move towards federally approved no-discharge areas where it is illegal to allow sanitary waste, treated or untreated, to be discharged into the water. This will become more likely as the number of pumpouts serving the boating population rises.