Key West asks cruise ships to pump wastewater into city's sewers

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/loc...estsewercruise
,0,509976.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

KEY WEST --The City Commission has asked cruise ships that dock in this
island city to pump their wastewater into the local sewage system instead of
dumping it offshore.

Mayor Jimmy Weekley said water quality is critical to the sensitive
ecosystem around the Florida Keys, home to the nation's only tropical marine
preserve.

``The U.S. Navy is willing to pump out and cruise ships need to pump out,''
Weekley said Tuesday. ``If cruise ships can't do that, maybe they should go
somewhere else. It's a detriment to the environment.''

Cruise ships dump thousands of gallons of wastewater into the ocean during a
voyage. Under requirements of the federal Clean Water Act, cruise ships can
dump when they are at least three miles offshore. Locally, cruise ship
companies pump out at least 12 miles offshore, cruise ship representatives
have said.

Officials with Carnival Cruise Lines and the Florida Caribbean Cruise Line
Association avoided the proposal at Tuesday's meeting, choosing to tout
cruise lines' environmental track record and their donations to Keys
environmental groups.

Officials with Carnival, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Disney Cruise
Line, which all use Key West as a port of call, did not have an immediate
comment Thursday.

The proposal calls for ships docking in Key West to pay 5 cents a gallon to
pump into the sewage system. But it could be difficult to order cruise ships
to refrain from releasing wastewater between a prior port and Key West, Port
Director Raymond Archer said.

``The intent is admirable and we support it, but there are a lot of unknowns
right now,'' Archer said. ``We need to create and adopt a policy and way of
enacting it.''

Also, only one of the city's three cruise ship piers has a pumping station.
The station at Mallory Square is set up to handle Navy ships, but could be
fitted for cruise ships, Archer said. The two others, privately owned Pier B
and the city-managed Outer Mole pier, do not have pumping facilities.

Weekley said it could take up to a year to have all the piers ready for
cruise ship pumping. He asked City Manager Julio Avael to negotiate the
proposal with cruise lines.

The proposal was made during a successful vote to raise passenger fees from
$8 to $10.63 for each person who disembarks in Key West.

___

Information from: Key West Citizen, http://www.keysnews.com

I may be very naive, but remember reading (on the ship) that Carnival
processes all waste and their effluent is as clean as what they take in. Is
that not true?
"fishman" wrote in message
...

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/loc...estsewercruise
,0,509976.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

KEY WEST --The City Commission has asked cruise ships that dock in this
island city to pump their wastewater into the local sewage system instead
of
dumping it offshore.

Mayor Jimmy Weekley said water quality is critical to the sensitive
ecosystem around the Florida Keys, home to the nation's only tropical
marine
preserve.

``The U.S. Navy is willing to pump out and cruise ships need to pump
out,''
Weekley said Tuesday. ``If cruise ships can't do that, maybe they should
go
somewhere else. It's a detriment to the environment.''

Cruise ships dump thousands of gallons of wastewater into the ocean during
a
voyage. Under requirements of the federal Clean Water Act, cruise ships
can
dump when they are at least three miles offshore. Locally, cruise ship
companies pump out at least 12 miles offshore, cruise ship representatives
have said.

Officials with Carnival Cruise Lines and the Florida Caribbean Cruise Line
Association avoided the proposal at Tuesday's meeting, choosing to tout
cruise lines' environmental track record and their donations to Keys
environmental groups.

Officials with Carnival, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Disney Cruise
Line, which all use Key West as a port of call, did not have an immediate
comment Thursday.

The proposal calls for ships docking in Key West to pay 5 cents a gallon
to
pump into the sewage system. But it could be difficult to order cruise
ships
to refrain from releasing wastewater between a prior port and Key West,
Port
Director Raymond Archer said.

``The intent is admirable and we support it, but there are a lot of
unknowns
right now,'' Archer said. ``We need to create and adopt a policy and way
of
enacting it.''

Also, only one of the city's three cruise ship piers has a pumping
station.
The station at Mallory Square is set up to handle Navy ships, but could be
fitted for cruise ships, Archer said. The two others, privately owned Pier
B
and the city-managed Outer Mole pier, do not have pumping facilities.

Weekley said it could take up to a year to have all the piers ready for
cruise ship pumping. He asked City Manager Julio Avael to negotiate the
proposal with cruise lines.

The proposal was made during a successful vote to raise passenger fees
from
$8 to $10.63 for each person who disembarks in Key West.

___

Information from: Key West Citizen, http://www.keysnews.com