Larry wrote:
The regulations about holding
tanks and Y valves is for MOUNTED systems....permanently mounted heads
plumbed into the boat. The regs do NOT cover a Portapotti that is NOT
mounted into the boat in a permanent manner, a "portable device", whether
that's a rusty old bucket, a covered plastic bucket from Dunkin' Donuts
(works great, $1), or a "pretty" Portapottie/Sanipottie. If you have a
stern-mounted 1-holer hangin out over the ocean, that's not covered,
either....like old sailing ships had...(c;
Sorry, Larry, but the regs DO cover discharge of sewage from any device,
installed or not.
Sewage is defined in the CFR as "human body wastes and the wastes from
toilets and other receptacles intended to receive or retain body waste."
Discharge is defined in the CFR as "includes, but is not limited to, any
spilling, leaking, pouring, pumping, emitting, emptying, or dumping."
Note that while "marine sanitation device" is defined as "any equipment
for installation on board a vessel which is designed to receive, retain,
treat, or discharge sewage, and any process to treat such sewage," there
is no mention of marine sanitation devices in the definition of
"discharge."
So although the CFR does require that any vessel that has an installed
toilet also be equipped with either a holding tank or a CG certified
treatment device, the CFR also makes it illegal to discharge raw sewage
from ANY container--portpotty, bucket, or even a coffee cup, whether
it's installed or not--inside the "3 mile limit." And what isn't covered
in MARINE sanition laws is covered by the laws pertaining to sewage from
all sources including those on land.
However, it is NOT illegal to pee into the water from the lee rail or
hang your butt off the stern...it's only illegal to put waste into any
container and empty the container into the water.
I didn't write the law, I'm just the messenger.
--
Peggie
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Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/books...ku=90&cat=1304