Starting May 20, Puget Sound along with some adjoining waters will be a "no dump zone" for boaters when it comes to toilet sewage, according to the Washington Department of Ecology.
Jeff Langhelm with the City of Gig Habor says the city installed two free pumpout stations years ago and last year set up a mobile pumpout station.
"Until the time that we had pump out facilities, boaters would discharge directly out into Puget Sound untreated sewer or partially treated sewer water. And what this does is take partially treated sewer and puts it through our treatment plant, so it's fully treated," said Langhelm
For longtime boaters like Del Carey, he's been using pumpout stations for years, but he's glad the rules around using them are now on the books.
"I appreciate clean water, and what goes into our sound affects all of us and affects whether that water is clean or not," said Carey
The impact is far-reaching and there's hope it will mean more protection for one of the most important natural resources in our backyard.
"In order to keep the salmon population healthy, the shellfish population health and that leads down the line to keep all of the other critters in the ocean healthy," said Langhelm.
