You are correct though, I think I really dislike the idea that this is ok, and struggle with it being done when there are choices. I would agree that making more noise about ensuring more pumpouts in good working order is necessary if we expect people to comply. Nothing like spending 2 hours circling waiting for the pump, only to find it is not working well. Agreed and point taken. Thanks for responding. I am just frustrated.
LuzSD,
Your efforts would go considerably further if you contacted your state and local governments to clean up the effluent that is likely dumped directly into the bay when a big rain comes. I would bet good money that San Diego dumps raw sewage into the ocean or bay just as many, many, many other cities do.
All the boaters in Casco Bay, here in Maine, can't equal in an entire season what our own water district dumps into the bay with each inch of rain.
This effluent dumps in completely untreated as "overflow". Many cities do this while at the same time raising your water bill to "pay for" the fixing of the system that prevents this. We have gone from a $22.00 per month water bill to over $100.00 and they have changed NOTHING. The boaters are usually not the problem, the residents living near the bay are, at least every time they flush, yet they all point the fingers at us boaters...
Hypocrisy at its best...
Here's a few excerpts from the Portland Press Herald from just a last spring.
Quote Press Herald: "Every time a steady rain falls on Maine, millions of gallons of untreated sewage and storm water overflow collection pipes and spill into streams and coastal waters. More than half of that pollution pours out of pipes scattered around the city of Portland. Overflows in the city last year totaled about 1.8 BILLION gallons - about 30 million gallons for every inch of rain. Portland was supposed to begin a three-phase, 15-year cleanup plan in 1993. But as of the end of 2006, two years before the original deadline, the city had eliminated just six of 33 targeted overflows, according to the state."
By the way we have had record setting rains a number of times since that article was written. One storm we saw 6" of rain or 180 million gallos of raw, untreated sewage. How many BILLIONS of gallons of poop is that when you spread it out over a year?
So where is the outrage over 1.8 plus BILLION gallons of RAW sewage? Where is the ACTION instead of the LOUD VOICES of these folks telling others how to live. They tell me what light bulbs I should be using in my house and that Casco Bay is now a NDZ yet every citizen in Portland is allowed to dump their poop DIRECTLY into the bay with no fines, or risk of it. Of course I would be fined at the federal level if even 1 oz of poop got into the bay from my boat and I got caught..?
Quote Press Herald:"When we have (overflows), we're getting human waste, we're getting storm water and we're getting industrial effluent. It does have an effect on the ecosystem," said Joseph Payne, bay keeper for the nonprofit Friends of Casco Bay" "Why haven't they made progress when 36 other cities have?" said Sen. John Nutting, D-Leeds."
That's a very good question coming from a supposedly "environmentally friendly"senator from one of the most environmentally friendly states in the country. Hmmm do they really care about the environment? Apparently not! Making Casco Bay an NDZ is a total scam and a bunch of feel good politics to help politicians look as if they do something when they really do nothing. The same bay, the above article was referencing, is the one made an NDZ (No Discharge Zone) just last year while our state government decided to look the other way on 1.8 BILLION plus gallons of raw sewage!
When will the feel good attacks on boaters, and other small segment groups stop, and real legislation be accomplished? Maine is also the state where the US Green party was founded! 1.8 BILLION gallons and supposedly "environmentally friendly" Maine has done nothing except to go after a few boaters who already complied with the laws far better than our own state?
The treated waste coming out of the Lectrasan I had on one boat was far cleaner than ANY of the 1.8 BILLION gallons allowed to be dumped into Casco Bay by our own GOVERNMENT! With Maine being the second highest taxed state in the country you'd think we would have the funds to fix our sewer systems but as usual there is no real action and only a bunch of empty talk and attacks on the "low hanging fruit" or the "easy targets" to make our elected officials look as if they actually work for a living.
Politicians attack these small segments of the population, like us "evil boaters", because it's easy, and it looks good in campaigns and 30 second sound bites. Making themselves look good is priority #1 and it's usually done at the cost of the environment and furthermore in a class warfare style, very frustrating for anyone with even half a brain. After all we boaters are rich and we can all afford to rip our Lectrasan units out, which are cleaner than what the state dumps into the bay, right?
I try VERY HARD to not dump within three miles., and I agree it's not wise, but we have VERY, VERY few working pump outs in Maine despite our NDZ designation.
How can I feel bad, or should I, the once a season I actually may have to dump my 6 gallons 2.8 miles off shore, as opposed to 3, on an outgoing tide? 6 gallons vs. 1.8 BILLION I'm sorry it's just hard to feel guilty with the blatant hypocrisy of it.
That being said I don't dump inside the bay, even well before legislation, and am usually at least a minimum of 2.5+ miles out and always on an outgoing tide if I absolutely have to dump. Just being honest here.
For the last 15 plus years I have been paying dearly for this supposed "clean up" of the Portland, ME raw sewage issue in increased sewer charges but NONE of that money, not one DIME, has been spent on it. We are now facing 50% percent increases in our sewer bills over the next 6 years to "pay" for this. We've been charged for it since 1993 but now they can't find the money??????!!!!!!
Such hypocritical junk!
Sorry for the rant..
