Rick wrote:
Peggie Hall wrote:

Yep. A lack of any enforcement of marine sanitation laws there--even a
total absence of any pumpout facilities--does not change the fact that
federal law prohibits the discharge of raw untreated toilet waste from
vessels in ALL U.S. waters within 3 miles of the coastline. But a
lack of any enforcement doesn't make it legal.

Wrong again. It is not a matter of enforcement at all. The "donut holes"
are areas that are more than 3 miles from the nearest land. They are
shoreward of the boundary line, within the waters of the State of Alaska
and well within what anyone would call the "inside passage."

You're referring to the Alexander Archipelego...right? "More than 3
miles from the nearest land" is the key. Any time you're in ocean
waters, Federal law prohibits the discharge of raw untreated waste
WITHIN 3 miles of the nearest land. State boundary line has nothing to
with it...if it did, it would be illegal to discharge untreated waste in
the entire 26 miles between the CA mainland and Catalina Island...but
it's only illegal within 3 miles of both the mainland and the
island...legal in the 19 miles between. Same holds true for the waters
of the "donut holes."

It is perfectly legal to pump sewage in these areas. Law was recently
made to prohibit large passenger vessels (read cruise ships) from
dumping untreated sewage in these areas but for other than commercial
passenger vessels above a certain size it is perfectly legal.

The new law didn't grant any exemptions to smaller vessels, only put an
additional burden on the large ones.

As a matter of fact you may sail from just north of Seattle all the way
to Glacier Bay on the inside passage and never break the law...

You would be in Puget sound, and if you sailed closer than 3 miles to
any land between Port Townsend and the Canadian border...from there to
the AK state line you're in Canadian coastal waters, subject to their
laws, not ours.

... so long as
you observe the location of the donut holes while in SE Alaska...

....And don't discharge within 3 miles of any land--mainland OR island.

It's VERY confusing, I know....'cuz what's the difference between waters
in which there are a bunch of islands more than 3 miles apart and a bay
or sound that's more than 3 miles shore-to-shore? There shouldn't BE any
difference IMO...but there is. Just be glad YOU don't have to try to
explain it.

Peggie
----------
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/detai...=400&group=327

http://www.seaworthy.com/html/get_ri...oat_odors.html