News & Views for Southern Sailors - Southwinds Magazine

ment to rid the town’s waters of these unwanted boats andcreate a boater-friendly atmosphere that would urge visitingboaters to come to the city and spend money ashore.People on both sides of the issue began to talk to each other,listening to other views.Now plans for a mooring field, rejected in the previousangry debate about derelict boats, have come back and seriousconsideration is being given to them. In a recent publicmeeting where ideas and opinions were exchanged, citizensexpressed support for the field, support for some liveaboardsand support for moorings for both storage andtransient use of the field. The group discussed establishinga harbor management plan, which would include overseeingpossible taxi service in the field, shore facilities, pumpoutservices and a dinghy dock.Gulfport has a unique and beautiful location off theICW in Pinellas County. It carries a small-town waterfrontatmosphere, reminding many of “Old Florida.”Condominiums do not dominate the shoreline. If thisboater-friendly trend continues, it could now become one ofthe premier places to visit by boaters in the region.National Forum Slated In May 2007To Address Water-Access Issues:Market Forces Squeezing OutTraditional UsesFrom BoatU.S./Sent on Behalf of Virginia Sea GrantLocal government officials, coastal management planners,legal scholars and boating industry representatives willgather in Norfolk,VA, next May to explore solutions to theloss of water access that is hindering recreational boaters,commercial fishermen and water-dependent businessesaround the nation’s coasts.Working Waterways & Waterfronts - A NationalSymposium on Water Access, is set for May 9 - 11, 2007 atthe Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel under the auspices ofthe Virginia Sea Grant Program. The conference will bringtogether experts in many fields to delve into issues that surroundthe rapid conversion of working waterfronts—marinas,boat repair yards, fish piers and charter fishing docks—to other uses such as private residential developments andWhere Can You Dump Type IMarine Sanitation Devices(Like Lectra-San)?Only six states (Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire,New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin) have all,or nearly all, of their waters designated as No-Discharge Zones (NDZs). This means that not eventreated sewage (as from a Lectra/San, a Type I MSD)can be dumped into those waters, but NDZs exist inonly certain portions of other states.Outside of NDZs, Type I MSDs can dump theirtreated waste into the waters legally and safely.NDZs in the Southern states are:Alabama: None.Florida: State waters within the Florida Keys NationalMarine Sanctuary, Destin Harbor, City of KeyWest waters.Georgia: Hartwell Lake.Louisiana: NoneMississippi: None.North Carolina: Broad Creek, Lake Keowee, LakeMurray, Lake Thurmond, and Lake Wylie.South Carolina: Hartwell Lake.Texas: 24 Freshwater bodies (no saltwater areas).(Other restrictions exist for certain freshwater bodies withlow water access. See the laws on the below Web site toreview those.)For a complete list of NDZs and information aboutthem and marine sanitation devices, go to www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/regulatory/vessel_sewage/vsdnozone.html.non-water-dependent businesses.Rising real estate taxes tied to “highest and best use”assessments and escalating property values fueled by thepublic’s desire to live by the water are driving the conversion.Water-dependent businesses, such as haul-out serviceyards, seafood handling facilities and boat builders, are losingaccess to the water as well. These losses compound theNews & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS October 2006 29