New EPA water permit regulations are on the horizon. Some boaters fear this
could cause them to sink or simply take their boats out of the water
altogether.
On September 30th, the EPA is scheduled to begin court-ordered enforcement
of the Clean Water Act that controls all water discharged from boats during
its normal operation. Recreational boaters had been exempt from it for 34
years because it was meant for large, ocean-going ships.

Now, to comply with the law, the EPA has proposed permits for boaters; the
permits are free and automatic. The EPA says boaters will be required to
take "simple steps" to control water discharge from their boats, but didn't
give me any details about how to do that.