News

01/02/09

British Waterways asks Inland Boaters to be Green with Grey Water

British Waterways’ has included a rule in its new licence terms about discharge of waste or so called ‘grey’ water from boats, boaters should now only use phosphate-free detergents.

British Waterways are concerned that excessive amounts of plant nutrients – mainly phosphates are present in the network’s water, which can cause a proliferation of plant and algae growth.

Too many aquatic plants can become an obstruction to navigation, cause levels of oxygen in the water to fall dangerously low, and prevent rare and more delicate plants from growing. Too many algae can also cause oxygen levels to fall, and some species (blue green algae) can produce a scum that is potentially harmful to humans, pets, and farm animals.

British Waterways (BW) has always allowed boaters to discharge "grey water" (waste water from sinks and showers) overboard. This is perfectly legal and has not caused any problems to date. However, the number of boats using the network is growing, and there is also a trend for some to have dishwashers and washing machines, with the waste water plumbed into the grey water system. This means that the amount of pollution from boats is gradually increasing, and at a time where other forms of pollution are being better controlled.

In most waterways the amount is still small compared with other sources, but BW need to show that they are doing all that is reasonable to control the situation. BW realise that a ban on overboard discharge of grey water would be very inconvenient for boaters, but think that using phosphate-free detergents and soaps is something that all boaters can do at minimal cost. Indeed for some time BW has recommended the use of "environmentally friendly" detergents in the Boaters Handbook.

There are an increasing number of "green" products on the market, many of which will be phosphate-free (it will say on the label). Examples are Ecover, Tesco’s "Naturally" range, Sainsbury’s "Cleanhome" range, Faith in Nature’s "Clear Spring" range, or the Bio-D range available from many Oxfam shops. For washing machines, some "wash-balls" are also phosphate-free, such as the T-Wave laundry discs.

Shampoos and shower gels by ethical stores such as Lush and Body Shop are also likely to be acceptable according to BW’s website Waterscape.

It is clearly not feasible for BW to monitor compliance with any rigour, but should water quality problems occur in a particular area that are related to phosphates from boats, the licence condition gives BW the necessary power to take enforcement action.

For The Green Blue's advice on cleaning you boat click here

To visit the Inland Waterways Association website click here