Kodiak harbors have two facilities for pumping or discharging waste from boats, but at least one is underused, prompting concern that boat operators may be discharging human and other waste in the harbors.

Kodiak fisherman Gordon Jensen raised the concern at the Ports and Harbors Advisory Board meeting last week.

“We have a pristine area here, and we harvest bounty from the sea,” Jensen said. “We have to do something about it, because we’re not a third-class city.”

The Federal Clean Water Act prohibits vessels from pumping sewage within three miles of the shore. The EPA regulation is enforced by the Coast Guard, Coast Guard Lt. Jason Boyle said. All vessels more than 26 feet with an installed head are required to have a marine sanitation device onboard.

According to the EPA, there are three types of marine sanitation devices. Types 1 and 2 rely on maceration and disinfection for treatment of waste prior to its discharge into the water, and type 3 is essentially a holding tank with deodorizers and other chemicals.

Boyle said the penalty for discharging waste within three miles of shore is up to $2,200 from the Coast Guard or up to $32,500 from the EPA. Both fines are per day of dumping.

Deputy harbormaster Lonnie White said, “It is against federal and city regulations to discharge sewage in the harbor. So I would encourage anybody who sees anybody violating these rules, to report them to the harbormaster or the Coast Guard and they will be followed up on.”

White said the harbormaster’s office hasn’t received any such reports to date, and Boyle said the Coast Guard has not discovered hard evidence of wrongdoing.

“We get reports of everything,” he said. “And one report I haven’t got, knock on wood, is people dumping waste in the harbor. That hasn’t been brought to our attention, and we’re out daily doing harbor patrols.”

Boyle said there are two types of vessels the Coast Guard has authority to inspect, subchapter T certificated vessels, which are less than 100 tons and carry more than six passengers and are inspected annually, and cruise ships. For commercial fishing vessels, inspection is voluntary.

“If it’s a subchapter T, I have the authority to go onboard and make sure that they’re (in compliance),” Boyle said. “Cruise ships, I can make sure that they’re doing that. Commercial fishing vessels, I have no authority. The only time I go on a commercial fishing vessel is if I’m invited onboard to do a voluntary decal inspection.”

Boyle described the voluntary inspection as a five-star program in which a vessel is inspected for life saving and firefighting equipment, in addition to sanitation and other equipment. Vessels are given a rating of one to five stars, depending on their level of compliance with regulations.

Most Kodiak vessels fall under the voluntary category, Boyle said. He estimates there are only about six certificated vessels in Kodiak.

“Unless it’s a certificated vessel or cruise ships, we really don’t have the authority to go onboard and ensure that they’re following (the regulations),” Boyle said. “Or unless someone reports them for dumping gray water, urinal sinks or sewage in the water. Then it becomes a violation, and we can do an investigation and potentially issue a fine or a warning. They’re required by the regulations to have the equipment, but it’s voluntary for them to invite us onboard to do the inspection.”

Boyle said he has firsthand knowledge of potential violations.

“I know for sure that there are fishing vessels I’ve been on that their waste is going directly over the side,” he said. “They don’t have a holding tank, so I don’t know what they do when they’re here in port.”

White said the city has a sewer reception facility at Pier 2 for larger vessels, and a pumping station between F and G floats in St. Herman Harbor for boats less than 40 feet. He urged boat operators to make use of both facilities.

“We haven’t had many requests to use the facility. It hasn’t been operated for quite a while,” he said of the smaller pumping station. “The facility is available and, I’d like to remind people of the regulations. We are not seeing boats requesting to discharge sewage, but we have a few bigger commercial fishing boats that discharge at one of our two locations.”

Jensen said he wants people to be aware of the potential problems of illegal discharge of sewage and waste in the waters surrounding Kodiak and hopes people will act more responsibly to protect the environment.

“It would be nice if people would be more conscious of what they dump in (the harbor),” Jensen said.

“It’s an important thing to all of us, the environment and our harbor,” White said. “And it’s against the law to discharge waste (in the harbor).”

Mirror writer Erik Wander can be reached via e-mail at ewander@kodiakdailymirror.com.