Protecting the Water: How to Handle Organic Waste

Most of us know there are many important reasons to become more environmentally friendly. What some of us don't know about is the damage we do to our own interests by polluting. When we treat the environment poorly, particularly by dumping organic waste, we endanger our own welfare in terms of our health, the economy, and the enjoyment of the water. When we pollute the water through poor boating habits, the pollutants travel through the food chain, reaching us in the fish we eat. Organic wastes, namely sewage, can devastate a marine environment by poisoning shellfish and damaging fish populations, straining our already vulnerable stocks. This contamination results in the closure of thousands of hectares of shellfish beds every year! Sewage creates unpleasant odours on the water, and detracts from the natural beauty of the marine environment by degrading the coast. Boat renters, diving tours, angling tours, and coastal tourism attractions all suffer significant economic losses due to the unfortunate consequences of pollution. It also leads to a decrease in shoreline property value and steals away from your boating pleasure. Finally, one possibly expensive repercussion of pollution is the damage debris and waste can do to boats and marine gear.

Fortunately, by adopting greener practices while out on the water, we can work to avoid all these problems. This summer, with support from the Halifax Port Authority, Clean Nova Scotia's program Ship to Shore, will be working with the Armdale Yacht Club to encourage greener boating practices and to help members with waste management. Some important things you can do include making sure your boat has a proper, well-maintained, waste containment system. If your vessel is fitted with a toilet, and weighs over 15 tons, you are required to install a holding tank. Familiarize yourself with pump-out stations available for unloading waste and remember that you can not discharge waste in inland waters. If you are in a designated discharge area, keep in mind that the fecal coliform count of the sewage must be equal to or less than 14/100 milliliters. Having an understanding of boating regulations is key to protecting the environment, More information is available from Transport Canada's Office of Boating Safety at www.tc.gc.ca/en/menu.htm

Taking care of our ocean is everyone's responsibility, whether we use it for work or play. By making some small changes and following Transport Canada's regulations, we can all enjoy the water this summer.