Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32NOVEMBER 2016 • FOGHORN 25 LEGISLATIVEREPORT U.S. waters can be subject to harsh penalties. In 2010, a passenger vessel operator in Massachusetts (not a PVA member) pleaded guilty to two counts of deliberately discharging untreated sewage over a period of several years. The defendant had to pay a fine of $300,000, serve three years of probation, and take out large advertisements of apology in local newspapers. In another case, a Northeastern ferry operator was convicted of similar charges; the operating entity had to pay a fine of $20,000 and the ferry’s manager of op- erations was sentenced to a $10,000 and a 30-day jail term. Keep in mind that designation of waters as a No Discharge Zone deals with sewage discharges but does not address graywater discharges. Graywater discharges are governed by the EPA’s Vessel General Permit (VPG) which applies to a “discharge inciden- tal to the normal operation of a vessel.” Graywater is considered to be an inci- dental discharge. The VGP generally allows graywater discharges, assuming certain best management practices are followed, but a couple of states have attached “add-on” requirements to the EPA VGP banning graywater dis- charges in their jurisdictions. PVA has produced guidance for its members on how to operate in conformance with the VGP. A s o f n o w ( a n d b e f o re t h e Washington State petition is dealt with), No Discharges Zones exist in 26 states. In some instances, only isolated bodies of water are so classified; in other cases, virtually all of the waters of the state are NDZs. See a list by googling “EPA and No Discharge Zones.” The clear trend is for even more waters to be classified as No Discharge Zones for treated sewage effluent. If your vessels operate on waters not currently classified as a NDZ, it may be only a matter of time before you will. Can your vessel in its current con- figuration operate without sewage dis- charges? If not, it would be prudent to think now what it would take to alter the vessel so that it will be able to sail in a NDZ. n C M Y CM MY CY CMY K SCA0102A Ad - Foghorn Jul2016.pdf 1 6/7/2016 4:32:54 PM We are proud to present our newest Passenger Ferry EXPEDITIONS Six, with MAN Engines, ZF Gears and Mavrik Marine’s supurb build. 1-800-695-2624 • go-lanai.com