GL: Great Lakes etc. toilet plumbing

[Wesley & Patty Eldred]

Keith:

The text of the applicable Vermont Statute reads:
TITLE 23
(sec) 3306. Lights and equipment

(e) Every marine toilet on board any vessel operated on the waters of the 
state shall also incorporate or be equipped with a holding tank. Any holding 
tank designed so as to provide for an optional means of discharge to the 
waters on which the vessel is operating shall have the discharge openings 
sealed shut and any discharge lines, pipes, or hoses shall be disconnected 
and stored while the vessel is in the waters of this state.



There is no distinction made for transient vessels - however, the Coast 
Guard will only inspect for compliance with Federal no-discharge 
regulations.  State, county or local police will inspect for compliance with 
the state regulations which are virtually identical in Vermont and New York. 
Not all vessels are inspected as they transit the lake but you may be. 
Vermont State Police claim to be lenient with cooperative boaters but there 
are numerous other enforcement agencies on the Lake.



I claim no particular expertise in this area but understand that local 
regulations cannot be more lenient than federal regualtions but they can be 
more strict.



Regards,



Wesley

wpeldred@comcast.net



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Keith" <keith@anastasia3.com>
Subject: GL: Great Lakes etc. toilet plumbing


> Michael wrote:
> "We are planning a trip this summer .... to Lake Champlain .....>
> Can anyone give me the requirements in these areas for the
> discharge/storage
> of the head.

> __________________________
> I asked Peggie Hall about this, and she replied as I had remembered:
> __________________________
> Lake Champlain is mentioned. If you ask the locals, they will insist that
> ALL vessels are
> required to comply. Since Champlain is not only an interstate waterway,
> but also am international waterway, that's not true...Federal law
> applies to transient vessels. But most people who make the Great Loop
> don't want to risk the hassle of trying to convince a local water cop of
> that, so they disconnect their overboard plumbing. I've never heard of
> anyone who's done the Loop who's ever been inspected, so whether it
> really is necessary has yet to be proven.
>
> Peggie
> ________________________________
> Personally, when I go through there, I'm going to stick to the Federal
> standards and NOT disconnect any hoses... I have a setup like the original
> poster, and the thought removing three hoses and re-installing them later 
> is
> unbearable. I put them on, so I know how hard that job would be.
> Oh, and those requirements are in:
> http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/12feb20041500/edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/julqtr/33cfr159.7.htm
>
> Keith