GL: Lake Champlain plumbing requirements

[Dennis Bruckel]

Michael asked....
 
Can the direct overboard discharge lines from the toilet 
and the macerator pump be closed at the thruhulls and wired shut, or is a
more 
permanent set up required in these waters.
 
And Wes Eldred responded...
 
The hose connecting to your overboard discharge must be removed. In your 
case it sounds like you have two.
 
Dennis adds....
 
First, authorities on Lake Champlain enforce the strictest regulations on
black water discharge of any area in the Great Loop. State, County, Game
Wardens, and local authorities can potentially board your vessel and
inspect for compliance, as well as Coast Guard. The regulations require
that the POTENTIAL for overboard discharge be removed. As Wes said, this
means removing the piping and stowing it elsewhere on board. In no other
jurisdiction is this so vigorously enforced. Non-compliance means mandatory
fines.
 
Having said that, I will add that enforcement has dropped dramatically in
the past several years. During the 1990's I could practically guarantee a
transient vessel would be boarded shortly after entering Lake Champlain,
from either the north or south. For the past several seasons enforcement
has been dramatically less. In an informal survey conducted last fall I
could not find one boater who had been inspected for plumbing violations
while on Lake Champlain during 2006.
 
I talked with enforcement agencies in both New York and Vermont this past
fall while editing copy for the Waterway Guide. Authorities in both states
related that lower enforcement levels were associated with staff shortages
rather than relaxation of enforcement to the letter of the law. And, they
assured that recent and anticipated increased staffing levels would result
in resumption of their earlier vigorous enforcement. 
 
To insure compliance, you MUST remove a piece of pipe connecting the
holding tank to the macerator pump, or the pump itself, or the pipe from
the macerator pump to the thru hull. Plug the hole in the thru hull with a
tapered dowel and close the valve. Clean and stow these elsewhere in a poly
bag. We usually do this in Whitehall, NY coming north, or just above the
Canadian border coming south to Rouse's Point, NY. Similarly, we replace
the plumbing at the same locations going the other way. Elsewhere in New
York and Canada, a simple closing and securing of the thru hull fitting is
adequate.
 
If this is really a big job, there is perhaps something wrong with the
design of your plumbing system. Several years ago, DIY Magazine published
an article of mine on head plumbing and a very easy way to rinse the system
of nasty water, leaving the piping full of only clean fresh water. You can
find a copy of that article on my web site, www.debruckel.com. Follow the
link in the right side of the home page to "Boating How-to", then "Plumbing
System". I'll present some of that information at the Charleston rendezvous.
 
Dennis
 
Dennis Bruckel, Cruising Editor
Waterway Guide
Albin 27  Sadie B
website www.debruckel.com