Assessing boat waste impacts on small wastewater treatment plant operations

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2018With implementation of the Clean Vessel Act Wastewater Project it is imperative to understand potential impacts of recreational boat waste on wastewater treatment plant operations. The Clean Vessel Act funds the creation of pumpout stations (similar to RV dump stations) to provide alternatives to disposal of recreational boat waste overboard (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Boat waste is black water (water from toilets) from recreational boats that is pumped into on-shore pumpout tanks. In the past, this waste was often discharged directly into the surrounding water. As more boat waste is diverted from direct disposal, wastewater treatment plants located near pumpout facilities are often asked to accept this additional influent. Since many boating activities take place in remote areas, many potentially impacted treatment facilities are small (