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#07-142 May 14, 2007

Orange flag indicates marina pumpout services

Have you ever been out and away from your marina and in dire of need of a pumpout? No problem, just look for one of the orange flags with the national pumpout logo. These flags have beenPumpout flag distributed to all marinas on all the inland water bodies as well as the coastal marinas. These flags should raise awareness as to which marinas offer the pumpout services. Many pumpout facilities are free, but others charge up to a $5.00 fee for the services. Through the Clean Vessel Act program, marinas can receive a 75 percent reimbursement for the approved costs of the pumpout installation or for the installation of floating restrooms.

Contact Lorianne Riggin at (803) 360-0034 or Scott Meister at (864) 953-9062 for more information on the Clean Vessel Act and how to obtain a pumpout with federal aid.

Vessels with a toilet aboard under US Coast Guard Regulations, which the state adopts, must have a marine sanitation device or MSD. There are three different kinds of MSDs:  a Type I, II, or III.  Type I and Type II MSDs macerates and disinfects the waste and then discharges it. A Type III MSD, the more environmentally friendly option, deposits the waste into a holding tank, which can later be disposed of at a pumpout facility. Type III MSDs do come with a discharge option for many large coastal vessels called a Y-valve.

If you have a Type I or Type II MSD and you are in a No Discharge Zone (NDZ), then you must have the device secured in a manner which prevents discharge such as padlocking the overboard discharge valves or using non-releasable wire tie to hold overboard discharge valves in the closed position and removing the handle, or locking the door, with padlock or key, to the space enclosing the toilet. South Carolina’s NDZ’s include:  Broad Creek (Hilton Head Island) and lakes Hartwell, Keowee, Murray, Thurmond, and Wylie.  It is illegal for any boat to discharge in a No Discharge Zone. It is also illegal for any houseboat to discharge raw or treated sewage into any freshwater body.
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