I know the Feds are considering legislation to control ALL discharge from ALL boats with a permiting/licensing system. So are all boats now going to be required to have another holding tank for grey water? I know the enviro-nazis would love that. Retrofitting an old boat like our Ericsons would be a pain, expensive and the tanks would be too small to be of much use. So what then? You cannot use the galley sink and brush your teeth in the head? Seems ridiculous. Look at the runoff from highways, parking lots, etc. that dumps millions of gallons of oil, coolant, etc. contaminated water into the sea. How about the pesticides that run off from farms and worse yet, lawns and golf courses. Lets check all those residential septic systems that leak and run off, not to mention the municipal systems that overflow and dump to the ocean when it rains hard. I'm from the Caribbean and I know all about the dead reefs. Its from the sewage and fertilizer runoff. Its from the locals using dynamite to go fishing. Is the grey water from a boat a boat ideal? Ultimately, no. However the inordinate focus/blame that is placed on recreational boaters is absurd. It'll be the Winter Olympics in Hades before I am overly concerned about my grey water from washing plates and taking a shower. Nodding our collective heads and thinking that these types of ordinances are doing any good in light of the mountain of pollution that is unregulated is extremely short sighted. The authorities would rather pick on boaters because we are easy targets and considered "rich" so we can afford to do what it takes. RT
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