POLLUTION REGULATIONS AND ASSOCIATED PLACARDS
The following rules apply to all boats operating on federal navigable waters. Navigable waters include, but are not limited to, the Great Lakes and coastal waters and all rivers connected to them.
Retaining oily mixtures
All recreational vessels with propulsion machinery must have a capacity to retain oily mixtures on board and be equipped with a fixed or portable means to discharge these oily mixtures to a proper reception facility onshore.
Examples of portable means to discharge:
- a bucket and rags
- oil absorbent pads and heavy-duty plastic bag,
- bailer or portable pump
The oily mixture must be retained on board until transferred to a recycling center on land.
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No person may intentionally drain oil or oily waste from any source into the bilge of any vessel.
Oil Pollution Placard
Boats 26-feet in length and greater, and operating on federal navigable waters, are required to display a “pollution placard”. The placard must be at least 5” x 8” and be visibly displayed near the engine bilge switch, or in the engine compartment.
DISCHARGE OF GARBAGE PROHIBITED
The recreational boater has the responsibility of treating the aquatic ecosystem with respect, as it is illegal to dispose of trash in the water. All trash must be retained onboard the boat until you return to shore and dispose of it in a trash can or other acceptable receptacle.
Waste Management
Federal law requires oceangoing U.S. vessels (state registered or federally documented) of 40 feet or longer, which are engaged in commerce or are equipped with a galley and berthing to have a written Waste Management Plan. The Waste Management Plan must contain information regarding policy and procedures for handling the vessel’s garbage.
Marine Sanitation Devices
Recreational boats must have an operable Marine Sanitation Device (MSD) if the boat has an installed toilet. Porta-Potties are not considered “installed” toilets.
There are three (3) types of MSDs:
- Type I and Type II devices are both flow-through devices that treat sewage through maceration or disinfection before the sewage is discharged overboard.
- A Type III device is a holding tank where the sewage is held until it can be properly disposed of at a pump-out facility. Holding tanks may be discharged outside of state waters (more than 3 nautical miles offshore in the ocean and 9 nautical miles in the Gulf of Mexico). Most Type III devices are equipped with a discharge option, in the form of a Y-valve. The Y-valve allows the boater to direct the flow of the sewage into the holding tank or directly overboard.
- Vessels 65.6 feet/20 meters and under may use a Type I, II, or III MSD. If over 65.6 feet/20 meters, the vessel must install a Type II or III MSD.
- All installed MSDs should have a placard on them that states the device is in compliance with USCG standards.
Preventing Discharge
When operating a vessel on a body of water where the discharge of treated or
untreated sewage is prohibited, such as No Discharge Zones, the operator must
secure the device in a manner that prevents any discharge. Some acceptable
methods are: 
- Padlocking overboard discharge valves in the closed position, using a
non-releasable wire tie to hold overboard discharge valves in the closed
position.
- Closing overboard discharge valves and removing the handle.
- Locking the door, with padlock or key lock, to the space enclosing the
toilets (for Type I, Type II only).
Most marinas have dedicated "pump out" stations available for removing
sewage. All boaters should pump out sewage holding tanks on a regular basis.
Florida Definitions
"Marine Sanitation" as used in these rules shall apply to waste associated with marine heads on vessels.
"Marine Sanitation Device" shall mean any device on board a vessel which is designed to retain, treat, or discharge waste associated with a marine head.
"Inoperable Device" A device or system is considered inoperable when it can not be readily placed back in service.
Examples of an inoperable device are:
- Systems on which Y valves have been secured in a position which prohibits improper discharge of waste. Y valves will be considered “secured” when held in the closed position by non-releasing wire ties or seals.
- Systems where wiring has been removed in such a way that the device cannot readily be reconnected for use.
- Systems where hoses have been removed so that overboard discharge of untreated sewage on discharge lakes, or overboard discharge of any kind on no discharge lakes is not possible.
- Removal of the "installed" head.
Methods such as removal of fuses, locking doors which provide access to the head, and removal of Y valve handles shall not be considered as making a device or system inoperable.
Marine sanitation device laws apply to boats with installed heads (commodes). Sanitation devices are classified by types. Types I & II treat sewage and then discharge it into the water. A Type III is a holding tank which retains the waste until it is pumped out at a marina or other facility. The following is a summary of the M.S.D. laws:
- Discharging untreated sewage into public water is prohibited. It is illegal to use a vessel which is capable of discharging untreated sewage.
- Public waters are classified as either discharge (capable of accepting treated sewage) or no discharge (waste must be retained in a holding tank until properly removed).
- Discharge into public waters is restricted to a Type I or II U.S. Coast Guard approved marine sanitation device on those waters classified as discharge.
- Marinas and docks operating on public water must provide a sewage removal service.
Vessels shall be deemed in compliance of the marine sanitation law when:
- The vessel does not have an installed head.
- The vessel is equipped with a holding tank which is constructed or secured in such a way that overboard discharge of sewage is not possible.
- The vessel is operating on waters designated as "approved for overboard discharge of marine waste" and has an operate U.S. Coast Guard approved Type 1 or 2 marine sanitation device attached to installed marine head.
- The vessel is operating on waters designated as "no discharge for marine waste" and has rendered inoperable any system that would allow overboard discharge of sewage.
NO DISCHARGE ZONES
| Destin Harbor |
| City of Key West waters |
| State waters within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary |
Florida Marine Sanitation Devices
Florida law requires any vessels 26 feet or more in length, with an enclosed cabin with sleeping facilities, to be equipped with a toilet if on Florida state waters.
- Every houseboat must be equipped with at least one permanently installed toilet properly attached to a U.S. Coast Guard-certified Type III MSD.
- On vessels other than a houseboat, the toilet may be either a portable device or a permanently installed toilet properly attached to a U.S. Coast Guard-certified MSD.
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