Sea toilets on tidal rivers in the UK. Just a query....

[David J Smith]

Morning all. We have finally taken over our "new to us"Narrow boat,on the great river Ouse in Cambridgeshire. My boat has a Thetford Cassette. The Marina is full of  fiberglass cruisers. I was asking an owner of one of the cruisers.where the nearest Elsan station on the River was? He replied with. "Don't know mate, I don't need one". Why not I asked? "Coz I've got a sea toilet"! And you pump out straight into the river, I asked? Sure. Totally legal he said. How can this be right, Because just after the first lock heading up stream to St Ives. Its not Tidal anymore. His reasons for it being "OK" to dump directly into the river was that. unless you go into a marina. There are not many sanitary stations along the banks of the river. And the logistics of putting more sanitary stations, would cost to much. So basically the river authority turn a blind eye !!! I would never empty my Cassette into the river. ( Even without the blue liquid added). But many people must do it.  We noticed the near the Pie and Eel pub,or is it Eel and Pie. There were lots of people wild swimming,and paddle boarding. If only they knew eh??

Please feel free to correct me on anything I've put here. I shall be contacting the River authorities for the area.

 D&D  Westview marina.

[pearley]

Might have seen us yesterday moored on the EA pontoon outside the marina.

 

Our old boat was cassette but we never emptied into the river even though, as you say, it is legal. We never had any problems emptying cassettes though as, on the upper Ouse Hartford, Brampton and Priory all allow, or did, you to use the elsan FOC. At Westview we just used the free pumpout to empty the cassette.

 

It might be legal but very anti social.

 

 

[GUMPY]

There are plenty of places to dispose of the contents of the  cassette on the Gt Ouse. Most marinas allow you to dispose of it for free, 

Dumping cassette with blue in it  in the river is a no no but sea toilets with no blue are fine due to the dilution factor.

It's the same on the River Nene.

We have 3 cassettes so being lazy often end up with marathon sluicing sessions.

Here are the available disposal points

 

Buckden Marina Elsan point
Cardington Lock Elsan point
Denver Complex Elsan point
Ely City Elsan point
Fish & Duck Marina Elsan point
Hartford Marina Elsan point
Hilgay Elsan Point
Huntingdon Boathaven Elsan Point
Isleham Marina Elsan Point

Jesus Green Elsan point
Jones Boatyard Elsan point
Little Ouse Moorings Elsan point
Priory Marina Elsan point
St Neots Marina Elsan point

 

So plenty of scope

Data from GOBA map

It's also not difficult getting a narrow boat into most marinas on the Gt Ouse unlike some on the Thames 🤭

[Chewbacka]

I think the EA has bigger problems to worry about, a quick Google shows that a couple of years ago “The plant, run by Anglian Water, recorded nearly 4,200 hours of sewage spilling out into the River Great Ouse, which runs through much of north Bedfordshire”.  Think about that the next time you think about swimming in the river.

[Alan de Enfield]

It is not just the Ouse, on all inland waterways (even non tidal) it is legal to use sea-toilets UNLESS there has been specific laws or by-laws passed to ban the use of them.

 

Sewage is allowed, by law, to be discharged from a vessel.

 

The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016

• UK Statutory Instruments
• 2016 No. 1154
• SCHEDULE 21
• Paragraph 3

Meaning of “water discharge activity”

 

3.—(1) A “water discharge activity” means any of the following—

 

(a)the discharge or entry to inland freshwaters, coastal waters or relevant territorial waters of any—

 

(i)poisonous, noxious or polluting matter,

 

(ii)waste matter, or

 

(iii)trade effluent or sewage effluent;

 

(b)the discharge from land through a pipe into the sea outside the seaward limits of relevant territorial waters of any trade effluent or sewage effluent;

 

(c)the removal from any part of the bottom, channel or bed of any inland freshwaters of a deposit accumulated by reason of any dam, weir or sluice holding back the waters, by causing it to be carried away in suspension in the waters, unless the activity is carried on in the exercise of a power conferred by or under any enactment relating to land drainage, flood prevention or navigation;

 

(d)the cutting or uprooting of a substantial amount of vegetation in any inland freshwaters or so near to any such waters that it falls into them, where it is not reasonable to take steps to remove the vegetation from these waters;

 

(e)an activity in respect of which a notice under paragraph 4 or 5 has been served and has taken effect.

 

(2) A discharge or an activity that might lead to a discharge is not a “water discharge activity”—

 

(a)if the discharge is made, or authorised to be made, by or under any prescribed statutory provision, or

 

(b)if the discharge is of trade effluent or sewage effluent from a vessel.

 

(3) In determining whether a discharge or an activity is a water discharge activity, no account must be taken of any radioactivity possessed by any substance or article or by any part of any premises.

 

 

 

If you do a search there are a number of threads on the subject - here is a starter for you :

 

 

 

 

[David J Smith]

Thanks for all your fast replies. They are/will be very helpful. I'm just so surprised about it. 

D****. On NB ******* **O

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, David john Smith said:

D****. On NB ******* **O

 

?????????????

Why ?

[blackrose]

1 hour ago, David john Smith said:

Totally legal he said. 

 

So basically the river authority turn a blind eye !!!

 

 

Either it's legal or the EA turn a blind eye. Both can't be true.

 

In this case it seems to be legal.

[enigmatic]

Just cause its legal doesn't mean it's not antisocial to do it, especially on moorings which are also popular swimming spots or somewhere narrow and slow flowing like the Old West River. 

 

Local byelaws ban it on some of the Fenland lodes

 

But yeah, Anglian Water discharge way more...

[Bacchus]

12 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

?????????????

Why ?

 

I was wondering that when it's in the bio and user-name?

[David J Smith]

OK. Sorry. Its Dave and Diane on newly acquired, Tickedy Boo . Happy now?

[Bacchus]

7 minutes ago, David john Smith said:

OK. Sorry. Its Dave and Diane on newly acquired, Tickedy Boo . Happy now?

 

I was happy before... just a bit curious as to why you used (presumably) your full name as username, and put your boat name in your bio, then starred it out (presumably) for anonymity. Nothing complex, just idle curiosity

[Alan de Enfield]

10 minutes ago, David john Smith said:

OK. Sorry. Its Dave and Diane on newly acquired, Tickedy Boo . Happy now?

 

Not a case of being 'happy' but just couldn't work out when it aready says :

 

David Smith

Tikedy Boo

 

below your avatar (and it appears on every post you make) why you were apparently trying to hide your details.

[pearley]

Marie who runs Westview Marina told us she regularly swims in the river. Ask her or her thoughts.