Not everybody pumped about stations

Alicia Robinson

Boaters in Newport Harbor might get more places to dump waste from

their vessels, but not all marina operators think new pump-out

stations are needed.

Seven marinas and anchorages in Newport Beach and five in

Huntington Harbour may have to install new stations to pump out or

dump waste from boats, if a state water board agrees with a 2003

order of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board, calling

for additional stations.

Federal law prohibits discharging sewage in Newport Harbor and

Huntington Harbour. A study by the regional water board showed there

were few pump-out stations available to the public, and those that

existed were often out of service.

The State Water Resources Control Board must approve the order to

make it effective. The state board will hold a hearing on the

pump-out stations Wednesday and a vote is expected Nov. 18.

The Santa Ana water board passed the order for more pump and dump

stations after water quality watchdog group Orange County CoastKeeper

found myriad problems with the facilities, said Garry Brown, the

group’s executive director. For example, on one summer weekend, none

of the public pump stations in Huntington Harbour was working, he

said.

“We just asked the simple question, why? What are the standards?”

Brown said. “We found out that essentially there were no standards.”

Marinas with more than 50 vessels are required to have one

pump-out station, which vacuums waste from a vessel’s bathroom or

holding tank. At the dump stations, boaters can empty smaller waste

tanks themselves.

Newport Harbor has a number of places to pump out but they break

down frequently, often because boats run into the docks where they

are located, said Newport Beach Harbor Resources Manager Tom

Rossmiller.

Under the water board order, the city would have to monitor the

pump-out stations three to five times a week instead of once a week

as it does now.

Pump-out stations can cost from $5,000 to $7,000 to install and

sometimes as much as $10,000 if a long connection to a sewer line is

required, but the state offers a grant that covers about 75% of

installation costs, Rossmiller said.

Not everyone is convinced adding pump stations would improve water

quality, and at least one anchorage operator plans to fight the order

if the state board approves it.

“Basically I don’t think it’s appropriate for our marina,” said

Steve Farwell, owner and manager of Swales Yacht Anchorage in Newport

Beach. “I haven’t found anybody on the docks who uses a pump-out

station. They either call a service that comes and pumps their boat

out or they dump at sea, which is a standard practice.”

He’s also worried about liability insurance and losing the income

from the boat slip that would have to sit empty so people could

access the pump-out station.

Those in favor of the pump-out stations say more stations will

encourage boaters to pump waste rather than dumping it in the water,

but Farwell isn’t convinced.

“The water board is sort of shooting a shotgun at everybody to try

to help the water quality,” he said. “What I see is the [urban]

runoff is a lot bigger issue for the water quality than just a few

boats.”

Brown said he’s hoping the state board approves the order, and it

can become a model for statewide regulations.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers business, politics and the environment.

She may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at

[email protected].