Vessel Sewage Discharge Program
This article first appeared in the newsletter The Foghorn.
America's navigable waterways are an integral part of many U.S. watersheds. These waterways play an important role in the U.S. commercial and
recreational boating industries, but they also provide habitat for many types of fish and wildlife which depend upon a healthy and clean environment to
survive. This article will describe the types of environmental stressors that affect navigable U. S. waterways; the impact those stressors may have on
the marine and associated habitats; and the things that can be done to reduce the stressors such as controlling wastewater discharges from ships or
educating vessel passengers about coastal and ocean waters.
Passenger Vessel Operators
Marine Debris
Vessel Sewage
Chemical Pollutants and Nonindigenous Aquatic Species
Coral Reefs
Passenger Vessel Operators
The health and cleanliness of waterways has a direct link to the health of the passenger vessel industry (i.e., if waterways are too polluted
to attract customers, the business will go elsewhere). In this regard, passenger vessel operators are in a unique position to help in the long
term prospects for the continued economic health of their businesses. In addition to assuring that vessels do not pollute the waterways, operators
can educate their passengers about the value of marine ecological resources, the problems challenging the health of waterways, and what passengers
can do in their normal lives to improve and protect aquatic resources. Operators can educate passengers through written material such as fact
sheets, brochures, or even bumper stickers, such as the simple message that wetlands are important: No wetlands, no seafood.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 1997 as the International Year of the Reef (IYOR) and 1998 as the International Year of the Ocean
(YOTO).
Marine Debris
From sources such as street litter or trash thrown overboard from vessels,
marine debris is any man-made object that enters the water either through
direct or indirect means. For example, a casually dropped plastic bag
onto a street can be washed into a storm drain, go through the sewer system
to a stream/river and eventually into the ocean where it can be deposited
on beaches or eaten by an animal causing internal injury or blockage of
vital passageways. It can also strand a boat by clogging intake valves
and entangling propellers. More than 267 species of marine organisms are
known to ingest or have become entangled in marine debris. Between 1987
and 1988, New York and New Jersey lost $2 billion in tourist revenues
due to trash washing onto the beaches.
Vessel operators can help by:
- Adopting a policy of carry on - carry off
Passengers can help by:
- Disposing of trash properly (e.g., no street litter);
- Cutting six-pack rings; and
- Participating in a local beach, river bank, or stream clean up
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Volunteers help clean trash from the beaches.
Vessel Sewage
The discharge of sewage from vessels into the waterways can contribute
to the degradation of the marine environment by introducing disease-causing
microorganisms (pathogens), such as bacteria, protozoans, and viruses,
into the marine environment. In addition, sewage released in the vicinity
of shellfish beds pose a public health problem. Because shellfish are
filter feeders, they concentrate the pathogens in their tissue, thereby
causing the shellfish to be unsafe for human consumption. The most notable
diseases potentially transmitted by the ingestion of shellfish contaminated
with the pathogens are gastroenteritis, dysentery, infectious hepatitis,
and typhoid fever. Sewage discharged from vessels can also be visually
repulsive and decreases the use of waterbodies for contact sports, such
as swimming, water skiing, and snorkeling.
Vessel operators and passengers with recreational boats can help by:
- Installing a Coast Guard-certified Marine Sanitation Device
- Using and maintaining your MSD properly;
- Using port and marina pumpout and dump stations; and
- Encouraging marina owners to maintain adequate pumpout and dump facilities.
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Chemical Pollutants and
Nonindigenous Aquatic Species
Chemical compounds, such as oil and gasoline resulting from spills or
leaks from vessels and/or the discharge of bilge water, can poison fish
and other marine organisms. Research has shown that by-products from the
biological breakdown of petroleum products can harm fish and wildlife
and pose threats to human health if ingested. The ubiquitous rainbow sheen
of a small gasoline or diesel spill is an all too-common sight. Although
most spills are small, cumulatively they can represent a considerable
problem. Since many of the petroleum pollutants float on the surface of
the water and are eventually wind blown into the shoreline, they can physically
cover plants and small animals, interfering with their respiration and
life cycles. Birds, fish and other animals that for years have made nests
and reared young within the protective surroundings of the shore have
been observed to abandon nesting areas soiled by chemical pollution.
The discharge of foreign ballast water into American harbors has been
the major source of invasive nonindigenous aquatic species. These new
species often disperse and displace the native species resulting in major
ecological damage.
(Nonindigenous aquatic species refers to a member of a species introduced to a body of water or aquatic ecosystem outside its historic or native
range.)
Vessel operators and passengers with recreational boats can help by:
- Implementing a spill prevention program;
- Assuring that wastewater discharges meet regulatory requirements; and
- Exchanging ballast water outside 12 nm (when appropriate).
Passengers can help by:
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- Reporting spills to the Coast Guard;
- Using a funnel when filling your boats gas tank and avoiding overfilling your boats gas tank;
- Making sure that your boat is properly maintained (repair all leaks);
- Disposing of used oil at oil collection facilities; and
- Using non-toxic and environmentally safe cleaning products.
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Coral Reefs
The interaction between humans and coral reef systems has a long history.
Reef fisheries have been an important food source and reef tracts have
been profitable tourist attractions. The Florida Keys and its associated
reef tract has an estimated yield between $30 million to $50 million per
year from fishing, diving, and educational research activities. The reef
tracts and associated communities of mangroves and sea grasses protect
shorelines from erosion by reducing wave energy. Impact from metropolitan
centers and ecotourism, marinas, and boat traffic have placed increased
pressure on reef ecosystems. Physical contact from inexperienced divers,
boats, and anchors leave long-term damage to the reefs, which are slow
to recover.
Vessel operators and passengers can help by:
- Using designated mooring buoys in coral reef areas and
- Viewing but not touching or collecting coral.
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