Holding Tanks (or not)

[Lightwave395]

Just returned from the morning stroll around the Hamstead side of Newtown Creek.
As usual the creek is pretty full of moored / anchored boats enjoying their weekend, although not as full as it has been of late in the heatwave when most of the bays stretching from Alum bay to Osborne bay and beyond were rammed full.

Like many (I think), I don’t have a holding tank on my boat (which isn’t berthed in the UK anyway) and it makes me wonder if or when these may become mandatory on both sides of the channel.

The number of pump out stations appears to be slowly increasing and the amount of shite flowing up and down the Solent in recent weeks from post breakfast / lunch / dinner heads usage in popular anchorages and moorings must be enormous…?

I love being out on the sea but I’m not a great lover of splashing around in it.
When my Grandchildren visit we load up the paddle boards etc and head to the south side at Sandown, I’m not keen on them swimming 200 metres from the house in amongst the floating picnic bars !

 

[lustyd]

The vast majority of what you see was released by water companies in the recent rain. Nothing to do with boats. Of course you can’t wash that shite off with a hosepipe because they have failed on both of their two objectives.

 

[Lightwave395]

Compared with Southern Water's discharges I guess a couple of hundred turds from yachts are a drop in the ocean ( no pun intended...) !

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We wouldn’t dream of pumping it over the side in Newtown . Was under the obviously rose coloured impression that times have moved on.

 

[lustyd]

wouldn’t dream of pumping it over the side

Thanks to the water company, you don't have to!

Raw sewage in our rivers

 

[Poignard]

The downstream waiting pontoon at Arzal lock must be pretty fragrant at low water these days. ?

Last I heard there were around 70 boats waiting for a chance to get through the lock and there's no sanitaires nearby.

 

[Biggles Wader]

Instead of pumping it overboard we will have to put it in a holding tank then pump it out into the local sewerage system so that they can save it all up and pump it onto the local beach. Sounds about right.

 

[Lightwave395]

The downstream waiting pontoon at Arzal lock must be pretty fragrant at low water these days. ?

Last I heard there were around 70 boats waiting for a chance to get through the lock and there's no sanitaires nearby.

I hope it's cleared by the end of October, we're back to being based in Arzal again from Nov 1st...

 

[Poignard]

I hope it's cleared by the end of October, we're back to being based in Arzal again from Nov 1st...

I hope it's cleared by early September, when I expect to go sailing again.

 

[RupertW]

I think the need for holding tanks is obvious in warmer climes where everyone goes for a swim at anchor and the waters are very clear. We also use the holding tank rather than marina loos except at the end of a cruise at our base marina.

I don’t really understand the need for pump out stations though as once you are a few hundred yards from beaches nothing likely to make it to the shore without breaking up and being eaten.

 

[lustyd]

I don’t really understand the need for pump out stations though as once you are a few hundred yards from beaches nothing likely to make it to the shore without breaking up and being eaten.

Individually maybe, and that used to be the case for sewage outlets. Those days are gone though, and there are simply too many people and too many boats so we do need to move to pump outs and holding tanks. Obviously I think water companies need to stop dumping sewage first, but we should certainly move towards a no poo in the sea future.

 

[Concerto]

Just returned from the morning stroll around the Hamstead side of Newtown Creek.
As usual the creek is pretty full of moored / anchored boats enjoying their weekend, although not as full as it has been of late in the heatwave when most of the bays stretching from Alum bay to Osborne bay and beyond were rammed full.

Like many (I think), I don’t have a holding tank on my boat (which isn’t berthed in the UK anyway) and it makes me wonder if or when these may become mandatory on both sides of the channel.

The number of pump out stations appears to be slowly increasing and the amount of shite flowing up and down the Solent in recent weeks from post breakfast / lunch / dinner heads usage in popular anchorages and moorings must be enormous…?

I love being out on the sea but I’m not a great lover of splashing around in it.
When my Grandchildren visit we load up the paddle boards etc and head to the south side at Sandown, I’m not keen on them swimming 200 metres from the house in amongst the floating picnic bars !

Before you decide that all yachts should have holding tanks, consider the number of houseboats that have mains water connected but nothing for waste water. They polute the water every day of the year compared to the occassional time from a yacht.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

You’ve got to start somewhere though. So we decided to start saving the planet, one poo at a time.

 

[capnsensible]

There are those that have had to unblock holding tanks and those that haven't........

 

[mjcoon]

There are those that have had to unblock holding tanks and those that haven't........

Not to mention holding tanks that back-flow into the pan because of valve failure...

 

[Chiara’s slave]

There are those that have had to unblock holding tanks and those that haven't........

Even worse for you, probably not your blockage.

 

[mjcoon]

Thanks to the water company, you don't have to!

Raw sewage in our rivers

Only the other day a water board spokesman objected to the spills being called "raw sewage" because it was much diluted. So maybe they think that the only processing they have to do is dilution...

 

[RupertW]

There are those that have had to unblock holding tanks and those that haven't........

Having had to do that once 20 years ago we ent to the Greek (and Canarian too in some places) of a bin for paper and haven’t had a blockage since thank goodness.

 

[RupertW]

Individually maybe, and that used to be the case for sewage outlets. Those days are gone though, and there are simply too many people and too many boats so we do need to move to pump outs and holding tanks. Obviously I think water companies need to stop dumping sewage first, but we should certainly move towards a no poo in the sea future.

The number of boats and amount of sewage is still very small compared to the water in open sea so I don’t thinks it’s the problem you think it is.

I wouldn’t release a holding tank in an enclosed bay but once a short distance from the shore it really is a few drops in the ocean.

 

[capnsensible]

Even worse for you, probably not your blockage.

Yup. But it's bread and butter for a plumber...