Toilet Pump Out on tidal & locked marinas

[Longbow]

I am a berth holder at MDL Chatham and also using Freedom berthing so visit many other MDL marinas.

Why are there NO pump out stations for Toilet Black tanks at this , or indeed apparently at any other costal MDL marinas. ?

Where it is a legal requirement on non tidal marinas they are provided, it may not be a legal requirement on tidal waters, but most boat owners would prefer to dispose of the tank contents in a better way then pumping out into the river / sea ?

[ForumAdmin]

What a great question. I hope this goes some way to answering it. We do have one at Hythe. They are a big investment to install is always the first challenge. The pump and hoses will cost around £4k. You then need a pipe run to the mains sewage or a more expensive cess pit. To run a pump out point at the fuel berth at PHM you will need 300m of pipe run and a suction pump. You will then need to pay sewage waste charges. On the inland waterways it is illegal to dump sewage on the rivers. So we can charge for the service. At sea you can go 3 miles offshore and legally dump sewage for free. So no coastal marina can charge. Therefore you do not recover your costs. They are also very temperamental and break easily. They are often self service and not flushed through correctly after each use. The piperun must always be clear to stop blockages.

[davewf]

You say go three miles offshore but my boat has no overboard facility for the waste tank so wont work for me so my holding tank is to all intents and purposes redundant.

[Maurice]

Aren't there plans to prohibit discharge into the Medway in a few years time? Presumably this will affect the situation at Chatham.

[WKoW]

ForumAdmin, having been at OV for years I wasn't aware that Hythe had a pump out, perhaps it would be worth putting that fact on the "Facilities & Services" list on the marina web site.

For those in Sparkes and Northney, Chichester Harbour Conservancy have a free pump out at Itchenor (https://www.bognorregispost.co.uk/20...-out-facility/).

All the Premier Marinas I've been to also seem to have pump out facilities.

[ForumAdmin]

ForumAdmin, having been at OV for years I wasn't aware that Hythe had a pump out, perhaps it would be worth putting that fact on the "Facilities & Services" list on the marina web site..

Good point, we've added this to the Hythe website.