EPA's Vessel General Permit and Small Vessel General

� Dispose of the graywater at an onshore facility, which will discharge the effluent under a
valid NPDES permit.
Graywater Treatment Standards. For large cruise ships, EPA requires treated graywater
discharges to meet the following standards:
� The discharge must satisfy the minimum level of effluent quality specified in 40 CFR §
133.102;
� The geometric mean of the samples from the discharge during any 30-day period may not
exceed 20 fecal coliform/100 milliliters (ml) and not more than 10 percent of the samples
may exceed 40 fecal coliform/100 ml; and
� Concentrations of total residual chlorine may not exceed 10.0 micrograms per liter (μg/l).
The EPA requires quarterly monitoring of graywater (results to be submitted to EPA annually)
for:
� BOD, fecal coliform, suspended solids, pH, and total residual chlorine
� E. coli, total phosphorus, ammonia, nitrate/nitrite, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen
Sculleries and Galleys. For large cruise ships, EPA requires the use soaps and detergents that are
phosphate-free, non-toxic, and biodegradable; EPA expects that non-toxic will contain little to no
nonylphenols. They require non-toxic degreasers if discharged as part of any waste stream.
Other Materials. For large cruise ships, EPA requires that vessel owners/operators prevent
waste from mercury-containing products, dry cleaners or dry cleaner condensate, photo
processing labs, medical sinks or floor drains, chemical storage areas, and print shops using
traditional or non-soy-based inks and chlorinated solvents from entering the ship’s graywater,
blackwater, or bilgewater systems if water from these systems will be discharged into waters of
the U.S. The EPA recommends preventing these wastes from entering these systems by
plugging all drains that flow to the graywater, blackwater, or bilge systems in areas where these
wastes are produced and creating alternate waste receptacles or replumbing drains to appropriate
holding tanks. The EPA prohibits vessel owners/operators from discharging any toxic materials,
including products containing acetone, benzene, or formaldehyde into salon and day spa sinks or
floor drains if those sinks or floor drains lead to any system which will be discharged into waters
of the U.S. This includes using these materials on passengers (or crew) and rinsing residuals into
these sinks. Alternate waste receptacles or holding tanks are required to be used for these
materials. The EPA considers addition of these materials to any systems that will discharge into
waters of the U.S. to be a permit violation.
Pool and Spa Discharges. For large cruise ships, EPA prohibits discharges of pool or spa water
to federally protected waters (listed in Appendix G of the VGP). The EPA authorizes discharges
from pools and spas are authorized into non-Appendix G waters, provided pool and spa water to
be discharged is dechlorinate and/or debrominated, and discharge occurs while the vessel is
underway. To be considered dechlorinated, the total residual chlorine in the pool or spa effluent
must be less than 100 μg/l if the pool or spa water is discharged without going through an
Advanced Wastewater Treatment System (AWTS). To be considered debrominated, the total
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