Shower shutdown at Seacrest, Alki: You can’t rinse yourself off any more because of pollution concerns

| Environment | West Seattle news

ORIGINAL REPORT, 10:33 AM: That photo from Alki Bathhouse shows a shower you can’t use any more because of pollution concerns. Paul shared it, with the note: “I, the lady with the two kids covered in sand at Alki Beach today and every scuba diver in Seattle would be interested in knowing how our tap water is harmful to Puget Sound (especially when we still have combined sewer overflow running untreated into Puget Sound every time it rains)?” The shower at Seacrest Boathouse has the same status and signage. So we checked with Seattle Parks, whose spokesperson David Takami replied:

In early July, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) staff checked for possible prohibited discharges at two locations in West Seattle:

* The outside shower at Alki Bathhouse, where pottery equipment had been washed; and

* The fish-cleaning sink and divers’ showers at Seacrest Park.

SPU administers the City of Seattle’s compliance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permit. NPDES is a program of the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

SPU determined that prohibited substances were present and draining directly into Puget Sound. Used water from showers and sinks may contain dirt, chemicals, chlorine and other substances that are not allowed to be directly discharged into the Sound. Upon notification, Seattle Parks and Recreation staff turned off the water at these two sites. Staff are looking into short- and long-term solutions.

We posted signs at both locations that read “The outside shower has been turned off or removed because it drains directly into Puget Sound in violation of the Federal Clean Water Act.”

We’re checking with SPU to find out more, including whether this is a citywide crackdown.

5:40 PM UPDATE: Spoke with an SPU rep, Louise Kulzer, a short time ago and got some answers, though it was recommended that we contact someone tomorrow who would likely have even more specifics. This, she said, originated with a complaint – the city has long acknowledged that many of its actions are complaint-based rather than proactive, and this seems to be one such case. Kulzer said, however, that the specific action of shutting down the showers would have been Parks’ choice to remedy the problem of discharging prohibited substances directly into Puget Sound. Even if not for a complaint, SPU does routinely inspect businesses and city facilities and might eventually have discovered this anyway, we’re told. We asked if parks in any other areas had been ordered to remedy similar problems, and Kulzer didn’t have that information handy – that’s something we should be able to ask about tomorrow.

Cowpie July 29, 2014 (10:56 am)

I’ve been a civil engineer for 28 years. I’ve designed countless water, sewer and storm water conveyance systems. The NPDES does not allow for the discharge of chlorinated water (which comes out of your home faucets)to make contact with storm water or any open waters. Chlorine is very harmful to the environment.
There are methods to de-chlorinate a watermain prior to releasing chlorinated water into the environment. With permission I’ve also been allowed to send chlorinated water into adjacent sewer systems during construction.
The City is simply following the rules to provide a better environment for all…..and don’t say it’s just a couple showers….they all add up.

ray July 29, 2014 (11:07 am)

You do realize that storm sewers all over this city drain all the chemical and pollution residue off out streets directly into the sound. That chemical stew so posts the infinitesimal amount from these showers that your comment is ludicrous.

really man July 29, 2014 (11:17 am)

Total joke. Let the kids rinse off. post sign saying use no soap.

gh July 29, 2014 (11:27 am)

This is the kind of dopey ideas you get when a militant EPA is involved.

2 Much Whine July 29, 2014 (11:31 am)

But don’t boats have holding tanks that get filled with many gallons of chlorinated water from the tap and that water drains directly into the sound when dishes are washed or decks are sprayed? I’m not saying that one “pollution” source is better than another but why aren’t boats required to fill their holding tanks with non-chlorinated water if it is such a big deal? I would think the thousands of boats around here would have a much bigger impact than a couple showers. Oh wait, boat owners generally have money (at least they did till they bought a boat) and people cleaning fish on the docks. . . . maybe not so much.

JanS July 29, 2014 (11:43 am)

so..the theory is…it’s happening, and has happened by other means in the past, and continuing, so why not let a little more happen, because it’s such a small amount? ok, then…

AG July 29, 2014 (11:46 am)

“including…dirt…” — am I understanding correctly that beach sand being rinsed off in the showers and then returning to the Sound (from whence it came) is one of the issues? OMG. Sand returning to the beach!

blockedpunt July 29, 2014 (11:47 am)

Cowpie– if that is the case, why doesn’t every homeowner need a NPDES permit to run their garden hoses? Wash their cars? A lot of the excess water finds its way to the storm sewers.

Shutting down a faucet at the beach during the summer is insane. Someone at SCL is mis-applying or mis-understanding what constitutes NPDES action.

B-squared July 29, 2014 (11:53 am)

Thanks, Cowpie. It’s important for people to understand the impact they have on Puget Sound’s health. It does all add up. How about a teaching moment for the kids? You want a body of water that supports marine mammals, and the food they (and we) eat? Keep the flow into the sounds free of harmful chemicals.

Diane July 29, 2014 (12:00 pm)

GAWD; this is so beyond ridiculous; last week I watched an apt owner power wash 2 years of built-up oil, crud, chemicals from the parking lot, into the storm drain, for 6 hours; what’s that, about 600 gallons of chlorinated tap water filled with crap washed directly into Puget Sound; is there any law preventing that? all throughout the summer, there are 1000’s of people washing cars in their driveways with soap and chlorinated tap water; every lawn in Seattle that is green right now, is watered with chlorinated tap water (many with chemicals to kill weeds); but god forbid our local kids wash sand off their bodies at the beach

Diane July 29, 2014 (12:07 pm)

also; on a hot summer day at the beach (one of the hottest weeks of summer right now); for many, going to that shower is the best way to cool off

Ray July 29, 2014 (12:16 pm)

Hell, I watched the fire response to the Delridge fire yesterday “dump” hundreds of gallons of water that drained on the street into the sewers.

I guess if the city is going to be in compliance with itself, it must either capture all water runoff or discontinue fire service.

This is a pointless, stupid action that the city is using to punish the citizenry.

Lamont Granquist July 29, 2014 (12:25 pm)

@Cowpie, I understand the problem with salinated or chlorinated water draining into freshwater, but how does this affect draining directly into saltwater? The sound already has tons of chlorine ions in it from the saltwater so any chemical which will react with chlorine ions already does so. We have huge problems with dog sh-t draining directly into puget sound, we have issues with soap, oil and brake pads, not to mention active metabolites of drugs like Prozac. I’m still struggling to understand how this chlorinated water discharge affects the sound, particularly compared to how I can visibly see how freshwater discharge into the sound affects salinity when I’m diving during large rainstorms. Likewise, fish guts are naturally occurring in puget sound and the fish are going to die and decompose sooner or later in the sound, the fisherman aren’t adding anything back that wasn’t already there.

I’d like to see something done about cleaning up the problem with nitrogen and fertilizers in the run off, and I don’t see how this is helping the problem. I think it just lets those who are opposed to any environmental regulation point at how ridiculous we look on this one issue and shoots ourself in the foot. There should be some kind of prioritization and this ‘problem’ is so far down the list that its completely laughable.

skeeter July 29, 2014 (12:30 pm)

blockedpunt asks a good question. Every time I water a plant, wash my car, or run my sprinkler, I put chlorinated water into the ground and storm water runoffs. I don’t understand how that is legal.

trickycoolj July 29, 2014 (12:37 pm)

“…where pottery equipment had been washed…”

There’s your kicker. This is why we can’t have nice things, people abusing the showers and fish sinks for washing their equipment and the runoff from that equipment (presumably chemicals and non-native clay not beach sand) is causing high readings. I’d say get a camera and prosecute the jerks that are using it for their personal utility sink, but then we’d be in a whole different problem of voyeurism.

Mike July 29, 2014 (12:40 pm)

Cowpie, you probably worked with my dad at one point. People here are not very well informed as to how lucky they are to have the resources they have these days. Before my dad, you could not swim in Lake Wa and you’d be lucky to flush a toilet today without him having fought hard to make sure we have one of the cleanest potable water systems and iconic sewage treatment facilities in the world. That’s okay though, it’s just one more faucet…just one, multiplied by every living being in the King/Snohomish/Pierce county areas. As long as they don’t see it, it won’t matter to them…until they can’t use it.
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When you don’t play nice with your toys, you lose them. People here are close to losing their ability to drink water without getting sick or flush a toilet. Lets all develop everything, pave everything, cram more people here…that’ll help everything *cough*

935 July 29, 2014 (12:40 pm)

FFS
Seattle management idiocy at its finest!
Hey look!! No showers to wash off your kids/toys/feet etc…
Please don’t pay any attention to the gajillion dollar tunnel debacle.
Isn’t this similar to reasoning to not use salt on icy roads? cause the salty runoff would end up in the puget sound

Lamont Granquist July 29, 2014 (12:47 pm)

Also I fail to see how this really “adds up” in any useful way. If we were to fix every CSO and Storm drain and filter all of that water to eliminate all of the nitrates and chlorine and other chemicals from it then that would make a dent in the problem. However, we lack the will to do anything like that, so instead we’ll turn off a few showers which addresses 0.00001% of the problem.

As a software developer, if I was focused on fixing performance bugs in lines of code that were only ever hit 0.00001% of the time, I’d get fired for being useless. You have to spend effort where it’ll actually make a difference.

Lamont Granquist July 29, 2014 (12:54 pm)

@skeeter, when you wash your car and it drains into a storm drain you are doing damage to puget sound. We should either make that illegal or filter all the storm water. We probably can’t make that illegal, though, or people would freak out.

Still the oil and soap in the water is a much bigger concern than the chlorine. While there may be water treatment standards about the chlorine content of treated sewage, and Cowpie needs to adhere to those standards, I haven’t been able to turn up any studies where chlorine is being addressed as a serious pollutant issue in Puget Sound by anyone. Its seems to be flying completely under the radar of any scientific studies of Puget Sounds health, and can’t find it in studies of any other saltwater bodies as well.

wetone July 29, 2014 (1:06 pm)

This is what happens when government has got to big along with over educated no common sense people, or just down right flawed. One more great example of our terribly run city. I guess seattle parks and city should turn off all sprinklers along all waterfronts that washes geese/ seabird , otter , dog poop, dirt, airborne particals and so much more into the water. In fact maybe they should close all public water access and make sure all people stay out of the water since they have used soap,hair products, deodorant , sun screen ……………… Yet our government wants to allow more coal and oil trains through the area which has much bigger consequences, hum…. If they care this much about the water quality then why are they allowing cement, chemical plants to line the river fronts with their raw products right beside the river/waterfronts all one needs to do is take an air sample from the south end of Harbor Island if one wants to have a eye opener. Fits right in with the thinking of everything else going on in this town……………

Mrs.T July 29, 2014 (1:48 pm)

There seems to be a lot of righteous anger about this issue. How about we try and look at the bigger picture. Dog owners, power washers, beach shower users, boat owners, shampoo companies, chemical plants, farmers, EVERYONE is going to have to make sacrifices, and some of them big, in order to clean up this mess we have made for ourselves. Instead of complaining about a couple of closed down outdoor showers how about we say, Great, now what is next on the list, and how can we fix that? I agree that they are bigger problems, but to discourage people from making whatever small steps they can just seems counter intuitive and pointless.

flynlo July 29, 2014 (1:48 pm)

This is happening at the ALKI BATHHOUSE – which used to contain showers for — bathing!! It was recently remodeled, don’t remember exactly when BUT what city dimbulb signed off on a shower that drains directly into the sound?? That shower is within 4? feet of an internal sink/toilet which I hope doesn’t also drain directly into the sound!!!

silverback July 29, 2014 (2:02 pm)

Great timing with the Park Ballot measure vote coming up. With more money they can fix everything and they have shut off the showers to dramatize their need.

I wonder about all of those outdoor showers in Hawaii?

jwright July 29, 2014 (2:39 pm)

Perhaps if once upon a time businesses didn’t just pour whatever they wanted to get rid of down the storm drain we wouldn’t have these sort of regulations. They do not always make sense but they are intended to ensure we have clean water. Personally, I like clean water so I can live with the letter of law (even with the occasional frustrating case like this). In reality, what is going to happen is that the showers will have to be modified to drain into the sewer system, not into the storm drain.
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As an aside it is discouraging to see the ignorance shown by all of the comments here bashing the City Of Seattle. The city is obligated to comply with Federal regulations. It is not a matter of the city lacking “common sense.” If you want to complain about government, at least make an effort to learn how government works.

ltfd July 29, 2014 (2:41 pm)

As Kafka said, “The law is an a$$”.

Diane July 29, 2014 (2:43 pm)

good point @flynlo

bs July 29, 2014 (2:44 pm)

Only reason they shut them off is… they can’t TAX them….

patrick pavey July 29, 2014 (2:53 pm)

Boy, it is a shame some of you were not present during the many hearings regarding the hearings that were held years ago on the State’s efforts to define clean water rules for major water “polluters.” These hearings were held to create the NPDES rules for waste water discharge permits. And to understand much of the decisions it would help if you are a chemist because these “permits” list all kinds of allowed and prohibited amounts of all kinds of chemicals, including Chlorine. It is extremely complicated and frustrating, but the blame does not lie with SPU, they are only the messenger, responsible for enforcing the rules given by the State. And it is not even as simple as that. By the way, washing your car is addressed in the rules STOP DOING THAT! (except at approved car washes that recycle the water.) I could say more but you might get the idea I’m some kind of econut. Nope, just someone that ran headlong into this issue 10 years ago.

... July 29, 2014 (3:07 pm)

Onoz! We better vote in a parks district so we can afford to replumb the beach showers!

/sarcasm

dsa July 29, 2014 (3:51 pm)

Do I understand this correctly? If I go to the kitchen, draw two glasses of water and drink one, it is detrimental to Puget Sound to dump the other one in the bay? Really?

diverlaura July 29, 2014 (4:34 pm)

I’m very curious how this issue came up in the first place, who reported this issue to SPU, and how many other “illegal” discharges it will impact. What about all the water going out to docks for rinsing off your boat at marinas? What about the “clean” water (not sewage) on your boat?

Doesn’t this mean that all faucets/hoses which flow to piers/docks/marinas within SPU’s jurisdiction should be immediately shut off as well.

Is it possible that this an offshoot/backlash surrounding the No Discharge Zone controversy?

Maybe all outside faucets that come from the waterlines should be capped. The city/county/state can supply everyone with a roof that has gutters with rain barrels and/or cisterns (including the bathhouse, marinas, docks and even the divers shower) and that unchlorinated water can be used for outdoor purposes. This would capture water when we need to (at peak flow) and release it when we need it… Voila, two birds with one stone. oh wait… some roofing materials contain things such as zinc etc.. and should really be going through soil columns or filtration before going into puget sound.

HUGE complicated problem.

WSB July 29, 2014 (4:36 pm)

I have not heard back yet from SPU. I’m thinking my main contacts are not in the office and so I’m going to start all over again tomorrow finding somebody who is. – TR

MellyMel July 29, 2014 (4:38 pm)

Here’s one more guess about this with no facts to add to the pile :)
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I predict SPU knew about this somewhere in their org, but was doing some looking the other way since, as people have noted, this particular violation has to be way down on the priority list.
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Then, I am guessing, someone made a complaint to them based on something they saw. (Egregious dumping of a chemical or whatnot.) So SPU was obligated to step up and enforce the law.

g July 29, 2014 (4:40 pm)

EPA gone wild…

Kari July 29, 2014 (5:11 pm)

I’m a civil engineer who has worked in the past with both SPU and the Federal Government. Government agencies are required to obtain and comply with NPDES permit rules and regulations, which are issued by the state de

I don’t know the reason why the showers were shut off. My guess, however, is that it’s related to the large scale CSO (combined sewer overflow) projects SPU has been and continues to implement.

SPU has been notified by the EPA that the utility will be fined if a sewage overflow event occurs in the Puget Sound and/or Lake Union.

I’m not 100% sure, but I believe the fine is a million dollars.

In order to prevent sewage overflows, SPU has undertaken studies to determine the capacity of the pipelines and the system improvements required.

Basically, the EPA has forced SPU to prevent any future sewage overflow events, which means large scale engineering projects to improve the existing combined storm/sewer drainage pipes.

My guess is that the shower drains violate the projects’ NPDES permit, which is issued by the state of WA environmental group.

If the NPDES permit is violated, the project cannot begin. Therefore, the city is forced to shut down the showers.

I also am disappointed as I’m an avid scuba diver and frequently use the Alki showers.

However, the impact or non-impact of the shower drains to the Sound is completely irrelevant. The real issue is that it violates the NPDES permit. SPU is probably surprised by the development and trying to figure out a solution. I’m guessing a solution would involve some type of treatment of the waste water (or holding tank or piping to treatment facilities).

The big picture is that the EPA and SPU are working to reduce sewage overflow events into the sound and lake union.

This is an unfortunate and hopefully temporary development that is most likely related to the CSO projects.

Tonight I’ll be bringing 2 gallons milk jugs full of water to rinse off the salt water on my dry suit. it’s the best temporary solution I can suggest.

It’s easy to be angry with SPU, however, they’re bound to comply with the NPDES permit, and the showers likely violate it, whether the impact is significant or not.

DiverLaura July 29, 2014 (5:12 pm)

The divers shower (where it seems this may have originated?) was put in by Metro if memory serves me, not SPU, in part as mitigation for the passenger ferry impacts on the dive site.

http://www.seattle.gov/parks/parkboard/briefings/briefingWaterTaxi022609.pdf

WSB July 29, 2014 (5:25 pm)

I just got a call from an SPU rep who confirms it started with a complaint from someone – the city acknowledges that it works on a complaint basis (for example, being cited for zoning violations, shrubbery over your sidewalk, etc.) in many things and apparently this too. The action of shutting down the showers, they said, was not specifically proscribed by SPU – it would have been up to Parks to decide how to take care of the specific violation. The person who was available to talk with me was not the supervisor of this program but I hope to be able to reach that person tomorrow to ask a few more questions – adding all this to the story above, in the meantime – TR

JayDee July 29, 2014 (5:20 pm)

As a friend pointed out divers will fill up jugs with *gasp* *horror* chlorinated water at home to shower themselves with on the street and in the parking lot where it will drain directly to the Sound…As things go, the residual level of chlorine (not chloride) in your tap water is about 1 ppm. And when it hits the street or the Sound it will either volatilize or react with organic matter in the water nearly immediately.
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Did you know that there are large blocks of zinc attached to the pier pilings whose sole purpose is to dissolve and protect the galvanized steel piling jackets? Zinc is a marine pollutant, and since it is immersed 24/7, it is a much bigger source of pollution than drinking water.
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If it is a real concern, add sanitary sewer piping to the backlog of Seattle City Parks maintenance items and end this theater of the absurd and turn the water back on.

Kari July 29, 2014 (5:30 pm)

I just read Tracy’s comment and I see she has the official word from SPU. Sounds like action originated from a complaint.

WSB is the most accurate and fast news source in the city, blowing away Seattle Times as usual.

Good investigative work TR, hopefully a solution is found soon!

wetone July 29, 2014 (5:43 pm)

I wonder if someone saw homeless people using the showers ? filed a complaint ? and being P/C like Seattle is just shut them down instead of dealing with the real problem.

WSB July 29, 2014 (5:47 pm)

Wet, no, the SPU person with whom I spoke indicated it was the kind of activity the Parks statement mentions.

Bob July 29, 2014 (7:03 pm)

So does this mean they’ll also be shutting off all the faucets at the boat ramps? Boaters rinsing off their boats use a LOT more water than divers rinsing off their gear. Somehow I doubt that the boaters will be forced to follow the same rules though. They have way more money and political clout than divers and beach goers do.

Fred Johnson July 29, 2014 (7:07 pm)

It’s a relatively simple fix…. just connect to the closest existing sanitary sewer main. I’m sure that SPU has work order contractors to do this type of work.

shed22 July 29, 2014 (7:33 pm)

Isn’t there a bunch of pottery inside the bathhouse right now?

Brian M. July 29, 2014 (8:48 pm)

I can’t help but feel that a miniscule minority is usurping the will of a majority, all in the name of righteousness. It’s a selfish viewpoint, but such a minority will debate me endlessly to tell me why I am the selfish one. Many at the beach, including the divers, do put the environment first. They help clean the beaches, bring awareness to pollution, and have a genuine appreciation for marine life. The source of the complaint has made it considerably more difficult for these folks to enjoy their experience at our beautiful beaches. How incredibly discouraging to be surrounded by such short-sightedness.

Rick July 29, 2014 (8:56 pm)

All boat owners must be1%’ers, own WalMart,BOA,Amazon,etc. and divers and beachgoers are just regular hardworking,humble,disenfranchised McDonald’s folks. Can we please get a little more polarizing here? (Just in case, for us “low informed voters”), that was sarcasm. Maybe Murray and Sawant should intervene.

Jason July 29, 2014 (9:38 pm)

The NPDES “regulations” are taken to the extreme by the city. Somewhere, it reads the like of “discharges that reach XXX water bodies that contain measureable amounts of xxx are in violation” etc. and that’s the part SPU disregards. It’s been proven: Several years ago, SPU did a study to see the effects (i.e. the amount of measurable chlorine in the water) of flushing the water mains into/onto the street when repairs were made, fire hydrants tested/fixed, etc. It was found – repeatedly – that the chlorine levels in the discharged water dissipated to a level that could not be measured after traveling 15-20 feet from the source. The results of the study were sent up the chain, and promptly ignored by the decisions makers, much to the chagrin of SPU field workers. “We’re not going to do it anyway” was the answer. So, now when water is flushed into the street, an SPU worker must stand there and toss handfuls of what is essentially Vitamin C powder into the discharge to neutralize the chlorine. Waste at it’s best.

Mr.B July 29, 2014 (11:00 pm)

This reminds me when the city banned beach fires because of their impact on global warming.

WSB July 29, 2014 (11:12 pm)

*Almost* banned! Had to look that one up … 2008: https://westseattleblog.com/2008/12/beach-fire-fans-take-note-parks-board-to-get-a-status-report/

MellyMel July 29, 2014 (11:38 pm)

Oh I guessed right about the complaint! Do I get an (internet) cookie? :)
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Also in my wild imagination, I can see someone complaining about what they witnessed because it really was a bad instance — some chemical or whatnot — thinking they were doing the right thing, but not knowing this would be the result.
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*shrug*

David Trotter July 30, 2014 (10:57 am)

As long as we have unchecked combined sewage overflow into Puget Sound, this going after individual small sites is a work in futility that serves more to penalize individuals and the community than to actually remedy the larger problem.

This is in line with SPU’s continuing policy of shutting off water and sewage at individual home, thus endangering both individual and the public welfare in the name of (in those cases) money. Here, however, the claim seems to be that SPU is “protecting” the public welfare, when in fact they are simply doing a show that accomplishes virtually nothing as long as the larger problem remains unremedied.

SPU seems to be in the business of using water, cleanliness, and people’s well being as a tool of oppression and impoverishment, rather than doing the job they should be, which is providing clean, cleansing, drinkable water to everyone in Seattle. SPU is really good at using a whole line of excuses to shove individuals and the community as a whole under.

Steve July 30, 2014 (11:00 am)

For god’s sake…leave them turned on for the last couple of months of summer and then figure out over the winter what to do about it!!

David Trotter July 30, 2014 (11:05 am)

In other words, Kari, you’re saying, “The law is the law and must be obeyed, regardless.” – So it was and is in every totalitarian state: George III’s England, numerouse African and South/Central American countires, Hitler’s Germany.

WS resident July 30, 2014 (11:16 am)

Ridiculous. Apparently we are incapable of common sense anymore, and totally unable to monitor our own actions without our local government doing it for us. You (the majority of West Seattle voters)…you voted for these liberal democratic power hungry control freaks. You voted for people who impose a bag tax, a $15 minimum wage…even if it isn’t those specific representatives who did this, you put people like them in power locally.

wetone July 30, 2014 (11:18 am)

Beach fires were banned on Alki beach for a few years, don’t recall whether it was safety issues or environmental from the many big beach fires trough out the summer months. I believe it was in the 90’s or maybe 80’s. After much uproar they were allowed again in designated areas followed by the steel fire pits. Made a lot of money selling firewood out of my little red wagon back in the late 60’s with $.25 loads :) Better get down to my boat and wash off all the industrial dirt that gathers daily from the Dirty Doo corridor (concrete plant) before they shut my water off : 0

Kari July 30, 2014 (1:07 pm)

I was hesitant to post anything because of a negative reaction. Call me sensitive, but I’m trying to be positive and helpful, nothing else.

Thanks David Trotter for comparing me to Hitler. That was horrible.

All I doing was trying to explain the government process that I’ve experienced in order to get to the heart of the problem to determine the right way to approach it-to try to change things.

The amount of misdirected anger and hate blows my mind.

Please, no more mean responses, I’m trying to help

Born on Alki July 30, 2014 (9:24 pm)

“So does this mean they’ll also be shutting off all the faucets at the boat ramps? Boaters rinsing off their boats use a LOT more water than divers rinsing off their gear. Somehow I doubt that the boaters will be forced to follow the same rules though. They have way more money and political clout than divers and beach goers do.” Comment by Bob.

Nope, there are no faucets at any public boat launches Bob. I rinse it off at home on my own dime. Down the storm drain she goes.
I have no more money or political clout than the divers have, I just have a boat. I also pay parks $12 bucks every time I use the ramp at Armeni. I wish I could say the same for everybody else without a boat that parks at Armeni in the “boat trailer only” spaces without paying. Please check your facts before mindlessly rambling.

Sorry, comment time is over.