Dear Editor,
I found the Rhode Island article [Rhode Island Designates All Coastal Waters as "No Discharge Areas," May/June 1999] somewhat disappointing because it failed to point out that EPA's "no discharge area" designation only affects the few boats that discharge treated waste. It has been illegal to discharge untreated waste in the U.S. since 1975, but [this prohibition] is largely ignored by many boaters.
If Rhode Island's waters have been measurably cleaned as reported, it is likely the state's enforcement efforts have caused the improvement, not the official EPA designation. The distinction is important because any community or state can enforce the present regulations NOW without the need for EPA's review and official "no discharge area" designation.
Many state agencies have complained about the potential impact of boat waste discharges but most have chosen not to enforce the existing regulations even though they were given the authority by the Clean Water Act in 1987. Rhode Island's success in enforcing the regulations is an important lesson for other coastal managers and should be commended.
Why wait for EPA? We can fix the problem now.
Spencer Rogers
North Carolina Sea Grant
