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POLLUTION REGULATIONS AND ASSOCIATED PLACARDS
| United States vessels of 26 feet or longer must display in a prominent
location, a durable placard at least 5 by 8 inches, fixed in a conspicuous place
in the machinery spaces, or at the bilge pump control station, notifying the
crew and passengers of oil discharge restrictions. |
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Capacity to retain oily mixtures
- Regulations issued under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act require
all vessels with propulsion machinery to have a capacity to retain oily
mixtures on board and be equipped with a fixed or portable means to
discharge these oily mixtures to a reception facility. A bucket and rags
meet this requirement.
- On recreational vessels, a bucket, oil absorbent pads and heavy-duty
plastic bag, bailer or portable pump are some suitable means that meet the
requirement for retention on board until transferring the oily mixture to a
reception facility.
- No person may intentionally drain oil or oily waste from any source into
the bilge of any vessel.
DISCHARGE OF GARBAGE PROHIBITED
The Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (MARPOL ANNEX V) places limitations
on the discharge of garbage from vessels. It is illegal to dump plastic trash
anywhere in the ocean or navigable waters of the United States. It is also
illegal to discharge garbage in the navigable waters of the United States,
including inland waters as well as anywhere in the Great Lakes. The discharge of
other types of garbage is permitted outside of specific distances offshore as
determined by the nature of that garbage.
Waste Management
| United States oceangoing vessels of 40 feet or longer, which are engaged in
commerce or are equipped with a galley and berthing must have a written Waste
Management Plan. |
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Marine Sanitation Devices
All recreational boats with installed toilet facilities must have an operable
marine sanitation device (MSD) on board.
- Vessels 65 feet and under may use a Type I, II or III MSD. Vessels over
65.6 feet/20 meters must install a Type II or III MSD. All installed MSDs
must be Coast Guard certified. Coast Guard certified devices are so labeled
except for some holding tanks, which are certified by definition under the
regulations.
Preventing Discharge
When operating a vessel on a body of water where the discharge of treated or untreated sewage is prohibited, such as Smith Mountain Lake, which is declared a “No Discharge Zone”, the operator must secure the device in a manner that prevents any discharge. Some acceptable methods are:
 Padlocking overboard discharge valves in the closed position, using a non-releasable wire tie to hold overboard discharge valves in the closed position.- Closing overboard discharge valves and removing the handle.
- Locking the door, with padlock or key lock, to the space enclosing the toilets (for Type I, Type II only).
Most marinas have dedicated “pump out” stations available for removing sewage. All boaters should pump out sewage holding tanks on a regular basis.
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