HBH - it is NOT true that all of Puget Sound is a no discharge zone. The BoatUS link that you reference to mis-states the regulation. The regulation applicable in all navigable waters of the United States, including Puget Sound, is that it is illegal to discharge UN-treated waste (raw sewage) within 3 miles of the coast. This 3-mile rule makes all of Puget Sound a no-raw-sewage-discharge zone. It is legal to discharge treated sewage within that limit, unless you're in a designated no-discharge zone.
Type I and II marine sanitation devices (MSD's) treat sewage either chemically or through an electrolysis process, then discharge the treated effluent overboard. So (for the time being) you may discharge treated effluent overboard anywhere in Puget Sound. But again, not once you're inside the Ballard Locks. Contrary to the assertion in the BoatUS link, a boat using a Type I or II MSD does not need a Y-valve and holding tank, unless you plan on entering a total no-discharge zone. See below for discussion about why you don't want to put Type I or II MSD-treated effluent in a holding tank. Per the EPA, for a Type I MSD, the effluent produced must not have a fecal coliform bacteria count greater than 1000 per 100 milliliters and have no visible floating solids. For a Type II, the effluent produced must not have a fecal coliform bacteria count greater than 200 per 100 milliliters and suspended solids not greater than 150 milligrams per liter. A Type I may not be used on a vessel greater than 65 feet in length, a type II may be used on a private vessel of any length. A Type III MSD is a holding tank system, and can be used anywhere. As to putting Type I or II MSD treated effluent into a holding tank: I had a 28 Carver Mariner with a Lectra San Type I MSD that I kept on Lake Washington. Because of the no-discharge regulation, I spoke with one of the experts at Marine Sanitation. Great guys and they really know their shit. (Ouch. Bad pun.) They are adamantly, vehemently, totally opposed to putting Type I or II treated effluent into a holding tank. Their preferred solution, if you insist on using a Type I or II unit where it's legal to discharge and a holding tank where it isn't, is to put a Y valve in the system to bypass the treatment system when using the holding tank. Why? Well, the treatment system kills most, but not all, bacteria. What's left? The strongest, hardiest, toughest bacteria, exactly what you don't want colonizing your holding tank. Their advice is that it's far better to put raw sewage into the holding tank rather than the super-bugs that survive the treatment process. I'm installing a Vacu-Flush system on my Uniflite (the original holding tank rusted out). I like the Vacu-Flush because it uses far less water than a standard marine head (pints instead of gallons per flush), so you can use a much smaller holding tank. Also highly recommended is that you plumb your fresh water system into your head so that you flush with fresh instead of salt water. An anti- backflow valve is a must here, unless you use a separate water tank for your head. Bacteria do poorly in fresh water but thrive in salt due to all the nutrients in salt water. That's another reason I like the Vacu-Flush - it is designed for fresh water and incorporates an anti-backflow valve. The weakness of the Vacu-Flush system is that if the vacuum pump fails, you're screwed, so keeping a rebuild kit aboard is a must. On the discharge side, there's a line to the deck fitting, into which I am incorporating a Y-valve that diverts to a separate discharge pump and through-hull in case I get caught somewhere with a full tank and no pump-out station, but I don't anticipate ever using it. Just a back-up. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "UnifliteWorld" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/UnifliteWorld?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
