Alaska cruise ship wastewater discharge studied
Published 10:41 pm Friday, July 4, 2008
JUNEAU, Alaska — Federal and state environmental regulators are allowing several cruise ships to release their wastewater into Skagway waters as part of a research project.
The Environmental Protection Agency research vessel Bold is in Southeast Alaska to help state water-quality regulators collect data on wastewater mixing zones, areas where discharge is allowed to exceed pollution limits while blending with uncontaminated water for dilution.
Several cruise lines volunteered to assist with the research. The Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s Millennium will be the first to participate.
Cruise industry and agency officials said the research could contribute to the debate over mixing zones.
“It could help make our case, or it could hurt the case,” said Richard Pruitt with Miami-based Royal Caribbean.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has limits on the pollutants that large cruise ships can discharge with their wastewater. Measurements are taken right at the end of the wastewater pipe.
The Alaska Cruise Association, an industry group, is appealing the standards, which were issued as a general permit in March. Pollutants should be measured some distance from the pipe, after the treated wastewater has had a chance to dilute in the surrounding sea water, say cruise line representatives.
Regulators based pollution standards on computer models of how pollutants dilute once they’re released into sea water.
“I’m excited to have an opportunity to get real field data,” said Denise Koch, the DEC’s cruise ship program manager.
The agency plans to use the mixing zone data to check where the model may need tweaking, or confirm if it’s on the mark, according to DEC researcher Albert Faure.
The study will include injecting a fluorescent dye into the cruise ship’s wastewater pipe, upstream from where its targeted release. By the time the dye gets out it will be fully mixed with the contents.
Koch said Skagway was selected because the waters there are still and don’t flush as quickly as other cruise ship ports. For the same reason, Skagway’s harbor is closed this year to wastewater discharge.
