Since October 1, 1994, boaters are prohibited from discharging raw sewage into fresh or within coastal salt-water limits. Coastal limits are 9 nautical miles on the Gulf and 3 miles on the Atlantic Ocean.

The Need for Clean Water

Florida is growing. There are more than 14 million residents in Florida today, and it is expected to reach 15 million by the turn of the century, making us the third most populous state in the nation. An estimated 800 new residents move to Florida everyday -- and most of them aim for the coast -- where 90% of us live already. (No matter where you live, you are never more than 75 miles from a coastline).

Properly disposing of human sewage from boats is one measure that can make a difference, because sewage microorganisms impact our waterways, threefold:

aesthetic revulsion

health hazard

lowering of oxygen levels in water (BOD)

Although aesthetic revulsion is the most visible of the three hazards, it has the least ecological impact. The absence of floating waste does not mean that the surrounding waters are safe from other negative effects of sewage discharge.

Health hazards are caused by microorganisms contained in human sewage that can cause infectious hepatitis, diarrhea, bacillary dysentery, skin rashes and even typhoid and cholera. The most common organism is coliform bacteria, which is found in the intestines of all warm-blooded animals. Fecal coliform, including E. coli bacteria, can increase from one bacterium to over 10 million in the 12-18 hour normal digestive time.

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) is the major indicator of pollution by organic materials. BOD is the amount of oxygen that bacteria take from water to oxidize organic matter into carbon dioxide and water. In both air and water environments, the oxygen produced by plants is offset by the oxygen consumed by animals, and the reverse is true of carbon dioxide. The atmosphere surrounding the earth is maintained at 21% oxygen at sea level. The only oxygen available for respiration by fish or biochemical activity by microbes in water is only 0.0008%. The marine ecosystem goes out of balance when an external source of oxygen demand is added (i.e. direct discharge of human waste, farm animal wastes, agricultural chemicals, faulty septic tanks).

Compounding this problem for vessel holding tanks is the presence of chemical additives which have been used to disinfect and deodorize the waste, including formaldehyde, paraformaldehyde, quaternary ammonium chloride and zinc sulphate. Ideally odor-control chemicals should be biodegradable when diluted and contains no dye or perfumes.

Marine Sanitation Devices

A Marine Sanitation Device (MSD) is any equipment for installation on board a vessel, other than a toilet, which is designed to receive, retain, treat or discharge sewage and any process to treat such sewage.

MSD TYPE 1: Flow-through device that treats sewage by chemical or thermal means

MSD TYPE 2: Device that treats the sewage by biological means and uses bacteria

MSD TYPE 3: Holds the sewage. Prevents direct overboard discharge or sewage

All MSD's have to be US Coast Guard Approved (label affixed for type 1 & 2, or letter/document on board)

The following crafts are required by law (Florida Statute 327.53) to have a working toilet on board when in state waters:

• Any vessel 26 feet or longer with an enclosed cabin and berthing facilities
• Any houseboat, defined as a vessel used primarily as a residence and not moved for 21 out of 30 days in a county of this state
• Any floating structure with enclosed living space with berthing facilities or work space with public access

"Y" Valve in Florida's Coastal Zone must be secured to prevent discharge in "No Discharge Zone" areas. Currently, there is only one NDZ in Florida; Destin Harbor.

Shellfish

Shellfish are often referred to as the canary in the mineshaft. Shellfish farmers are almost always the first to know when there is a pollution problem in the watershed. Mollusks (oysters, clams, and mussels) filter tiny particles, including bacteria, as they pump water across their gills and into their stomachs. As a result, they have the ability to absorb the bacteria which are floating in surrounding waters and pass them through onto unsuspecting consumers.

The Clean Vessel Act

The Federal Clean Vessel Act of 1992 provided funds for the construction of pumpout and dump station facilities and for educational, outreach and public awareness programs. Congress approved the Act to require coastal states to assess how many additional boating sewage removal facilities they may need and to develop and implement a plan to meet those needs.

Since 1994, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Division of Law Enforcement has been administering the Florida Clean Vessel Act (CVA) grant program. Since our participation in the program, our state has gone from 135 pumpout stations to approximately 250. By the year 2000, with appropriate funding, we anticipate having 608 working pumpout stations.

The funds for the CVA program come from boaters and anglers through excise taxes paid on fishing tackle and motorboat fuels under the US Fish and Wildlife Service Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration Program, better known by the boating industry as the Wallop-Breaux fund. We have obligated $1.38 million for pumpouts and have requested an additional $3.8 million. Re-authorization has been approved, expect pumpout projects to be funded as early as July 1999.

For additional information, contact Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Law Enforcement, Administrative Support at 850-488-5600 ext. 139 or your local Marine Patrol at *FMP.