What others say: Ferries need to find a better solution for their wastewater

  • Wednesday, July 15, 2015 5:47pm
  • Opinion

We love our ferries here in Southeast. We also love the pristine waters in which they sail. We’d like to keep both. That’s why the Alaska state ferries are long overdue for an upgrade in their water treatment practices.

Currently, eight of the state’s 11 ferries are permitted to discharge their wastewater virtually anywhere; they cannot do so while moored. But it’s not so much about where they dump: It’s about what they dump.

On our state ferries, solid waste is ground up, mixed with gray water (dirty water from sinks, dish washing and showers), then treated with chlorine tablets. That mixture is dumped into the ocean as needed.

This process became standard in the 1970s but was thrown out by cruise ships at the turn of the century. They thought it was obsolete and didn’t meet clean-water rules.

Yes, you read that right — many of our state ferries are using decades-old technology to treat wastewater.

We feel there must be a better way. And maybe it needs to begin with the regulations.

At present, ferries are in complete compliance. As noted in our news article on this topic, “… despite laxer treatment rules than apply to cruise ships, Alaska’s ferries meet all the requirements placed on them. Although the largest ferries operate under the DEC’s small cruise ship permit, all 11 vessels operate under an Environmental Protection Agency general permit.”

Those rules were set 40 years ago. We’re not experts on wastewater treatment, but we’d wager some changes could be made to lessen the environmental impact these vessels are leaving on our marine ecosystems.

Anyone who has a fish tank knows that chlorine and marine life don’t mix. It gives fish and marine invertebrates chemical burns — it damages their gills and can dissolve into their bloodstream, causing damage inside and out. Even at low levels, chlorine causes stress for marine life. That stress, in turn, can make organisms susceptible to disease. Of course, when it comes to toxicity, dilution is the solution.

We’re happy to know the two new Alaska-class ferries coming on board as early as 2018 will not dump wastewater; they have holding tanks and will pump off their black water (like three of our existing ferries do) to shoreside stations.

We understand that given the state’s budget situation, a fix may not be affordable. That said, we’d like to see those who govern our ferries step up and at the very least improve a decades-old water treatment plan.

— Juneau Empire, July 7

More in Opinion

A silver salmon is weighed at Three Bears in Kenai, Alaska. Evelyn McCoy, customer service PIC at Three Bears, looks on. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Will coho salmon be the next to disappear in the Kenai River?

Did we not learn anything from the disappearance of the kings from the Kenai River?

Jonathan Flora is a lifelong commercial fisherman and dockworker from Homer, Alaska.
Point of View: Not fishing for favors — Alaskans need basic health care access

We ask our elected officials to oppose this bill that puts our health and livelihoods in danger.

Alex Koplin. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: Public schools do much more than just teach the three Rs

Isn’t it worth spending the money to provide a quality education for each student that enters our schools?

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter to the Editor: Law enforcement officers helped ensure smooth, secure energy conference

Their visible commitment to public safety allowed attendees to focus fully on collaboration, learning, and the important conversations shaping our path forward.

Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo
The present-day KTOO public broadcasting building, built in 1959 for the U.S. Army’s Alaska Communications System Signal Corps, is located on filled tidelands near Juneau’s subport. Today vehicles on Egan Drive pass by the concrete structure with satellite dishes on the roof that receive signals from NPR, PBS and other sources.
My Turn: Stand for the community radio, not culture war optics

Alaskans are different and we pride ourselves on that. If my vehicle… Continue reading

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) delivers his annual speech to the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Sullivan, Trump and the rule of lawlessness

In September 2023, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan established his own Alaska Federal… Continue reading

UAA Provost Denise Runge photographed outside the Administration and Humanities Building at the University of Alaskas Anchorage. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: UAA’s College of Health — Empowering Alaska’s future, one nurse at a time

At the University of Alaska Anchorage, we understand the health of our… Continue reading

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, address a joint session of the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: A noncongressman for Alaska?

It’s right to ask whether Nick Begich is a noncongressman for Alaska.… Continue reading

Boats return to the Homer Harbor at the end of the fishing period for the 30th annual Winter King Salmon Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Opinion: Funding sustainable fisheries

Spring is always a busy season for Alaska’s fishermen and fishing communities.… Continue reading

Gov. Mike Dunleavy holds a press conference on Monday, May 19, 2025, to discuss his decision to veto an education bill. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: On fiscal policy, Dunleavy is a governor in name only

His fiscal credibility is so close to zero that lawmakers have no reason to take him seriously.

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks in support overriding Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of House Bill 69 at the Alaska Capitol in Juneau, Alaska, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)
Capitol Corner: Finishing a session that will make a lasting impact

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman reports back from Juneau.