Pros & cons (morally & legally) of dumping grey water.

[benchmarks]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

We stay at several state parks that have designated spots where you can slowly drain gray water. While boondocking in a nearby national forest we have talked with several rangers that say while they can't condone RV gray dumping, they either don't have a problem with it, or would purposefully not notice if someone did. I'm sure being in a desert in a drought condition has something to do with it.

We have a 4" outlet cap with a garden hose attachment. We will crack the gray and slowly drain to a tree or bush within 60' (length of the hose).

Would we dump gray in a commercial or crowded/popular campground, of course not. Just have to use a little common sense.

Agreed. If opposed I have to ask you "tree huggers" what the heck are you doing to that grey water to make you so wigged out about watering mother earth? [emoji23]

[benchmarks]

To end my 2 cents on this silly discussion, don't fret the gray water....be concerned about the plastic we ALL waste. We need to stop hugging those trees with glad bags. Later.

[Pat wright]

We boondock about 50% of the time. Dumping is only possible where you are. Black water waits till a proper location is available.
Other than that we pay for full hook ups all over the country.

[MOODMAN]

Just a little chemistry lesson...

Soap is different than detergent. Soap is made from oil, detergent is a synthetic compound. BTW, for those who use Dove bars, that is a detergent, not a soap.

Anyway, they are both "surfactants", meaning they disperse oils and grime and bind it to water so it can go down the drain. The suds you see don't actually do anything, and are there because the formula was made to make the consumer think the soap is more "active"

So, what do soaps and detergents do to the environment? I would direct you to this link, but there are plenty on the net. https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...1003135742.htm

If you use soaps or detergents in your gray water, you may have "suds". I personally don't want to look at other people's suds, but they aren't harming anything as they will disperse.

But the long term harm to the environment is not really all that bad. One caveat to that is that the chemicals in some detergents are prone to encouraging algae growth. That algae, depending on where the watershed goes, might make its way into lakes or oceans, and from there can create algal blooms. The same thing happens from farmers using chemical fertilizers on their fields which eventually makes its way to bodies of water, and frequently causes massive algal blooms.

So, carefully consider what you are dumping, what is in the cleaning products you use, and what part of the environment you are dumping it on. Is the ecosystem where you camp fragile? Does the water nearby lead to a lake or stream

Things to consider, and we all have to make up our own minds and try to be responsible to the environment in which we camp so that it can be preserved so we, and others, can continue to enjoy it.

[UncleScotty]

Originally Posted by benchmarks

Im an Ecological Studies major and a certified park ranger. Dumping grey water is not harmful at all. Tree hugger...well water that thing. Bahabaha!

Right there with you!

I'm no park ranger, but as a grown-up farm boy who did his fair share of 'letting it fly' in the great outdoors (if you catch my drift)......I agree with whoever made the comment about plastic being the far bigger curse.

Let's get things in perspective, folks!

Eliminate single use plastic from your shopping routine.

[wabakami]

Originally Posted by UncleScotty

Right there with you!

I'm no park ranger, but as a grown-up farm boy who did his fair share of 'letting it fly' in the great outdoors (if you catch my drift)......I agree with whoever made the comment about plastic being the far bigger curse.

Let's get things in perspective, folks!

Eliminate single use plastic from your shopping routine.

X2

I'm here in Algonquin Park 9 months of the year and the amount of plastic I see blowing around on the sides of the road or drive-in campsites is getting considerably worse; even the interior campsites are getting more trash left on them every year.

And don't get me started on "Tim Horton" coffee cups we see laying on the sides of the road here now in The Park (or else-ware). There should be a tax on take out/disposable coffee cups to be given to the groups who volunteer to clean-up the mess they make.



Geoff
.

[flyboy700]

Originally Posted by UncleScotty

Right there with you!

I'm no park ranger, but as a grown-up farm boy who did his fair share of 'letting it fly' in the great outdoors (if you catch my drift)......I agree with whoever made the comment about plastic being the far bigger curse.

Let's get things in perspective, folks!

Eliminate single use plastic from your shopping routine.

Thanks Moodman and UncleScotty, that should about wrap up this discussion - everyone agreed???

Sent from my XT1080 using Forest River Forums mobile app

[Iwritecode]

The site team has gone ahead and closed this thread per request of the OP.

I think everything that can be said, has been said and it's starting to drift into other subjects that would cause the thread to be shutdown eventually anyway.