Rochester, N.Y. - Laws prevent the discharge of raw sewage directly into
Lake Ontario. But they don’t apply to chemically treated waste collected on large boats.
While most boaters police themselves, you might be surprised to learn it’s not illegal for them to discharge waste even near the swimming beaches.
“That’s our playground out there so we’re pretty much self-policing,” says Craig Roth of the Genesee Yacht Club explaining that most recreational boaters use pump out stations. “The boats that we have, the way they’re manufactured, you can’t discharge overboard.”
Environmentalists and boaters alike point to commercial water traffic and say New York Could benefit from a “no discharge zone” – a NDZ- similar to one in Canada.
“The big problem is commercial shipping,” says Steve Corona who is also a recreational boater and member of the Genesee Yacht Club. “We’ve had invasive species come in like zebra mussels via ships that dump their holding tanks in the middle of the lake.”
Last season Durand Eastman Beach was closed to swimmers three of every five days because of poor water quality. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency, which must approve the NDZ, has been sitting on the request for two months.
“We need this done now,” said Senator Chuck Schumer (D), N.Y. from a podium plunked on Durand Beach during a beautiful sunny afternoon. He says he does not know what the hold up is.
New York State has set up and funded pump out stations around the lake and has filed an application with the E-P-A. But the consideration process which includes a public hearing has not moved forward.
Ultimately a prolonged hold up could impact plans by the city to redevelop the Port of Rochester – a multi-million dollar marina project whose success depends on the quality of the water it will boarder.
“We need it to kick into gear now so at the height of the summer season swimmers, beach goers and boaters will be safeguarded,” says Senator Schumer.
