Here’s the Scoop on Poop......
DON’T POLLUTE!
A Pump-Out Guide for Boats
Tips on clean boating on Texas waterways
1. Clean water & boat sewage:
Are we boating in a toilet?
Sewage waste discharged from boats may degrade water quality by introducing disease-causing microorganisms into the marine environment and depressing oxygen levels as the sewage decays. Low dissolved oxygen levels can result in fish kills. Shellfish beds with a fecal coliform bacteria count of 14 per 100 milliliters of water must be closed. Waters with a count of 200 fecal coliform bacteria per 100 milliliters are closed to swimming and other primary contact recreation activities, which hurts tourism and deteriorates the quality of life for all of us.
2. No-discharge areas:
Dilution is not the solution.
Under the Clean Water Act, states may petition the EPA to designate no-discharge areas where discharge of all sewage, treated or not, is prohibited.
The EPA will not approve a no-discharge area unless there are adequate pumpout facilities available to mariners. Type III MSDs are the only type that can be used legally in a no-discharge area, and must be emptied at a pumpout station. Clear Lake is currently the only no-discharge area on the Texas coast. All inland lakes in Texas are no-discharge areas.
3. What do the laws say?
What’s the Poop?
Federal law prohibits the discharge of untreated sewage from vessels within navigable waters of the United States, which include territorial seas within three miles of shore and most bays and estuaries.
Boats with Type I and II marine sanitation devices (MSDs) may discharge treated effluent in coastal waters unless they are in a no-discharge area.
4. How does this affect me?
Complying with vessel sewage discharge laws and regulations, and using pumpout facilities are necessary to protect water quality, public health and the marine environment. Mariners are encouraged to get ready for no-discharge areas all along the Texas Gulf Coast by retrofitting their boats with holding tanks. This may not seem fair to those who have done the “right thing” earlier by installing a Type I or II MSD, but the national movement toward designation of no-discharge areas is changing the rules. If you have a Type I or II MSD, don’t discharge it while in confined shallow waters, marinas, shellfish beds or contact recreation areas. Use shoreside restrooms before going out to sea and when docked or moored in the harbor, and dispose of port-a-potti waste properly on shore. Flip over this brochure for a list of Texas pump out facilities.
5. Marine sanitation devices
The Federal Clean Water Act requires that all boats with an installed head have one of three types of Coast Guard-approved marine sanitation devices (MSDs) attached to the toilet.
Failure to comply can result in a $2,000 fine. Type I and II MSDs are flow-through systems that treat the sewage using chemical, electrical and/or incineration methods before discharging the waste overboard; i.e., Lectra-San or Mircophor. A macerator pump is not an MSD. Type III MSDs are holding tanks that store sewage on the boat. The waste is not treated in a Type III device, even if odor-reducing chemicals are added. It is illegal to discharge or empty the contents of your boat’s holding tank in U.S. territorial water (within the 3-mile limit). Some boats are equipped with a “Y”-valve that allows for the direct discharge of raw sewage. This valve can only be used outside the 3-mile limit. Coast Guard regulations require that the “Y”-valve must be secured in the closed position (by a padlock, non-releasable tie, removal of the handle or other physical barrier) when the boat is within three miles of shore. Boaters can be fined for noncompliance. If you use a portable toilet, remember it is illegal to dump it overboard. Use shoreside facilities to empty it.
Vessels 65 feet and under may have any of the three types of MSDs. Vessels over 65 feet must have a Type II or III system. Type I and II MSDs must bear a U.S. Coast Guard certification label. Type III systems do not require a Coast Guard label.
SPECIAL NOTE: Waste treated by Type I and II MSDs is unhealthy for marine waters because (1) chemical treatment often sanitizes only the outer surfaces of waste clumps, (2) chemicals routinely used in MSDs are harmful to sea life and water quality (chlorine, formaldehyde, formaline, phenol derivatives, ammonia compounds), (3) poorly maintained MSDs may not treat effluent to the prescribed standards, and (4) even treated sewage contributes nutrients and lowers dissolved oxygen levels in water, lowering water quality for marine life.
6. Head Maintenance
Every two months, add one quart of household white vinegar to the head bowl and flush (dry cycle) until vinegar disappears from the bowl. Let the vinegar stand in the plumbing lines for 12 to 24 hours, then use the head as normal. Vinegar clears the lines of salt and calcium which creates blockage.
Add half a cup of vegetable oil and flush until the oil disappears from the bowl - allow to sit over night. The oil helps lubricate the moving parts of your head.
When cleaning the head, never use chlorine bleach, ammonia, pine oil products, formaldehyde, phenol derivatives, paint or lacquer thinners or solvents. These products are extremely damaging to the lining of the sanitation hoses. Once these hoses are damaged, odors can become a problem. Clean the head with a mild household cleaning product. Also, it is not necessary to use a special, expensive marine toilet paper. An inexpensive single or dual ply from a grocery store will work just fine. However, be sure to use a minimal amount (three or four squares). Do not dispose cigarette butts or feminine or safe sex products in the head.
Never use a plunger to “unclog” your toilet! Marine heads are equipped with special flapper and duck bill valves to assist in pumping and evacuating effluent. Plungers can damage these valves and make your head inoperable.
Follow these Tips, use pump Out Stations and have a great time boating on texas Waterways!
Coastal Marinas with Pump-Out Stations
ARANSAS BAY
Aransas County Nav. Dist. Marina (361) 729-6661
Key Allegro Isle Marina, Inc. (361) 729-8264
BAYTOWN
Bayland Park Marina, Inc. (281) 420-5076
CLEAR LAKE
Endeavour Marina (832) 864-4000
Lakewood Yacht Club (281) 474-2511
Legend Point (281) 334-3811
Marina Del Sol (281) 334-3909
Maritime Sanitation (281) 334-5978
Portofino Harbour (281) 334-6007
Seabrook Shipyard (281) 474-2586
South Shore Harbour (281) 334-0515
Waterford Harbor Marina (281) 334-4400
Watergate Yachting Center (281) 334-1511
CORPUS CHRISTI BAY
Corpus Christi Municipal Marina (361) 882-7333
CORPUS CHRISTI CH.
Island Moorings Marina (361) 749-4100
GALVESTON BAY
Galveston Yacht Basin, Inc. (409) 762-9689
Harborwalk Marina (409) 935-3737
Houston Yacht Club (281) 471-1255
GULF INTRACOASTAL WW
Bridge Harbor Yacht Club (979) 233-2101
Matagorda Harbor (979) 863-2103
LAGUNA MADRE
Willacy Cnty Nav. Dist. / Port Mansfield (956) 689-3332
LAVACA BAY
Nautical Landing Marina (361) 552-2615
NECHES RIVER
Beaumont Yacht Club (409) 832-1456
PORT ARANSAS HARBOR
Port Aransas City Marina (361) 749-5429
REDFISH BAY
San Patricio Cnty Nav. Distr. #1 (361) 758-1890
SABINE
Pleasure Island Commission (409) 982-4675
TRES PALACIOS BAY
Serendipity Resorts & Marina (361) 972-5454
Inland Lake Marinas with Pump-Out Stations
AMISTAD
Amistad Marina (830) 744-4157
Rough Canyon Marina (830) 775-8779
BELTON
City of Morgan’s Point Marina (254) 780-1131
Pier 36 Marina (254) 986-2466
CANYON
Canyon Lake Marina (830) 935-4333
Cranes Mill Marina (830) 899-7718
CEDAR CREEK
Don’s Port Marina, Inc. (903) 432-2268
CONROE
Anchorage Marina (936) 856-6423
Bentwater Yacht Club, Inc. (936) 597-6153
Del-Lago Marina (936) 582-7570
Inland Marina (936) 588-1126
Walden Marina (936) 582-1060
EAGLE MOUNTAIN
Eagle Mountain Marina & Restaurant (817) 237-5588
Fort Worth Boat Club-Private (817) 236-8393
Harbor One Marina (817) 236-8150
Lake Country Marina (817) 236-8362
Lakeview Marina (817) 236-1331
West Bay Marina & Resort (817) 444-1622
GRANBURY
Groggy Dowg Marina (817) 573-1990
GRAPEVINE
Scott’s Landing Marina (817) 481-4549
Silver Lake Marina (817) 481-1918
Twin Coves Marina (972) 724-1804
JOE POOL
Joe Pool Marina (972) 299-9010
Lynn Creek Marina (817) 640-4200
LAKE O’PINES
Big Cypress Marina (903) 665-8582
Johnson Creek Marina (903) 755-2530
LAVON
Collin Park Marina, Inc. (972) 442-3567
LBJ
LBJ Yacht Club & Marina (830) 693-9172
LEWISVILLE
Cottonwood Creek Marina (972) 292-1100
Eagle Point Marina (972) 436-6561
Lakeview Marina/Lake Dallas Boat (940) 321-2675
Pier 121 Marina (972) 625-2233
MEREDITH
Marina at Lake Meredith (806) 865-3391
POSSUM KINGDOM
Bluff Creek Marina (940) 779-3392
The Breakers (940) 549-6470
The Cliffs (940) 779-4555
Hill Country Harbor (940) 779-2346
Scenic Point Northview (940) 779-3266
Villa Marina Inc. (940) 779-2331
Willow Beach Resort (940) 779-3004
RAY HUBBARD
Bayview Marina (972) 412-1978
Captain’s Cove Marina (972) 226-7100
Chandler’s Landing Marina (972) 771-8865
RAY ROBERTS
Lake Ray Roberts Marina (940) 458-7343
RICHLAND-CHAMBERS
South Port Marina (903) 654-1100
TAWAKONI
Tawakoni Marina (903) 447-2255
TEXOMA
Big Mineral Camp (903) 523-4287
Cedar Bayou Marina (903) 523-4248
Cedar Mills Marina (903) 523-4222
Eisenhower Yacht Club (903) 463-3999
Flowing Wells Resort (903) 786-2930
Grandpappy Point Marina (903) 465-6330
Highport Marina (903) 786-7000
Mill Creek Resort (903) 786-2227
Walnut Creek Resort (903) 523-4211
TRAVIS
Austin Yacht Club (512) 266-1336
Briarcliff Marina (830) 264-2666
Commander’s Point Yacht Basin (512) 266-2333
Easy Street Marina (512) 267-4289
Emerald Point Marina (512) 266-1535
Hurst Harbor (512) 266-1800
Lake Travis Marina (512) 266-3290
Lakeway Marina (512) 261-7511
Marshall Ford Marina (512) 266-1559
Northshore Marina at the Hollows (512) 267-6222
Paradise Cove Marina (512) 266-8006
Resort Ranch Marina (512) 264-2533
V.I.P. Marina (512) 331-5375
Yacht Harbor Marina (512) 266-2507
TYLER
Lake Tyler Marina & RV #1 (972) 839-4800
WACO
Harbour Texas Marina (254) 754-1642
Ridgewood Marina (254) 772-0160
Lake Waco Marina (254) 848-4471
WHITNEY
Lake Whitney Marina at Juniper Cove (254) 694-3129
Clean Texas Marina Program
Texas Sea Grant Program
Texas A&M University, MS 4115
College Station, TX 77843
(979) 845-3857
Fax: (979) 845-7525
www.cleanmarinas.org
The facilites and services of Texas Sea Grant College Program are available to all without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, or physical or mental ability.
Publications made possible in part due to grant No. NA1701140 from the Texas Coastal Management Program to the Texas Sea Grant College Program as well as Instutional Grant NA16RG1078 to Texas A&M University from the National Sea Grant Office, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.
TAMU-SG-09-504(r) · January 2009 · 40M · NA-16-RG-1078
