Forewarned is Forearmed, Expanding Discharge Restrictions Almost Certain

The State of Washington broke faith with the recreational boating community by canceling the state-sponsored pump-outs. That service was supposed to be the deal maker when the over-reaching No Discharge Zone was established. The state acknowledged that there were a grossly (hey a pun!) inadequate number of pump-out stations, often inconveniently located, sometimes with access blocked by vessels moored at a dock, and not always reasonably accessible or functional.

"No, problem, boaters. We'll pay to collect the waste from your boat so you don't spend your boating weekend looking for a working pump-out station and waiting in line to use it."  So they did, until they didn't.

Could it be that tests of state waters before and after the NDZ was declared show virtually no change in water quality  so it's now difficult to justify the expense?  If that's the case, they will never admit it. That NDZ was going to clean up Puget Sound by nixxing the primary pollutant, (waste from recreational boats!) Or so they wanted everybody to believe.

If the experience of maritime communities elsewhere in the country provides some clue as to the "next trick up the sleeve" of the EPA, watch for a mandate to install grey water holding tanks. That's been the trend elsewhere. Brush your teeth? You have to save the water in which you rinsed out your toothbrush until the next time you pump out. Rinse out a wine glass? Don't you dare to begin to consider letting that tapwater run into Puget Sound. Oh, and while you're at it, make sure your newly required grey water tank is of adequate capacity to hold your bilge water as well.

Not sure whether once the initial NDZ is established (as it has been) the EPA can simply declare an expansion to additionally cover greywater, bilge water, etc. Perhaps they have to go through the entire process again. If they do have to go through the process, anybody unwilling to install a separate holding tank for greywater and bilge water should take the effort to protest to the state during the "public hearing" phase. If every boater in the state protested, it wouldn't change their foregone conclusions, but at least it would slow them down a bit.