Vessel Discharge
The discharge of untreated "sewage"
from boats into waters of the State is prohibited by both State law
(Florida Litter Law - 403.413, F.S.) and Federal law (Clean Water
Act). Note, graywater is not considered "sewage" in the law.
Therefore, the discharge of graywater from boats into the sea around
Florida is currently not prohibited. The law defines graywater from
boats as "galley (kitchen), bath, and shower water."
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and other states
recently entered into a
Memorandum of Understanding
with the cruise industry regarding sewage discharges from cruise ships.
This Memorandum states that graywater discharges from boats are
generally not subject to permitting or other regulatory programs. The
cruise industry has agreed, in this Memorandum, to only discharge
graywater while the ships are "underway." Underway generally means that
the ship is not at port; however, the term is not clearly defined in the
Memorandum. Sewage (raw human waste), on the other hand, must be treated
using Marine Sanitation Devices (MSD) which are approved and certified
by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). In fact any vessel with an installed
toilet operating in the navigable waters of the United States is
required to have a USCG certified MSD.
There are also areas in state waters that have been designated as
No Discharge Zones (NDZ). An NDZ prohibits the discharge of any
sewage, whether treated or not, from a vessel into these state waters.
In Florida there are three NDZ's, an area near Ft. Walton Beach, the
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and an area around Key West.
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