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Grey water from a houseboat: what may go into the river and what may not
Short answer
Grey water from the galley, shower and basin may not go overboard everywhere,
and on many lakes and protected waters it may not go overboard at all.
The rules depend on the water, the navigation authority and the marina,
and a tank or a shore connection is often the safer answer.
Even with the toilet going to a holding tank, a houseboat produces waste water every day: washing up, showers, the basin, sometimes a washing machine. That grey water carries detergent, grease, food scraps and soap, and on a boat that stays on the same mooring all year it adds up. Many older houseboats and liveaboard barges simply discharge it through a skin fitting, because that was how they were built.
Whether that is allowed depends on where the boat lies. Rules are set by environmental regulators and navigation authorities, in the UK bodies such as the Environment Agency and the Canal & River Trust, in the Netherlands the water boards and Rijkswaterstaat, and then there are marina rules and the mooring agreement on top. Lakes, reservoirs and protected waters are often stricter than large rivers, and for permanent residential moorings authorities increasingly expect a tank or a connection to the sewer. If dirty water gets into the water where it should not, fines and clean-up costs can follow, and they land with the owner.
So before you settle on a mooring, ask the navigation authority and the marina in writing what applies there. Where discharge is not allowed, the boat needs a grey water tank with pump-out or a fixed shore connection. Use washing-up liquid and detergent sparingly, fit strainers to the drains and never pour fat, oil, paint or solvents down the sink. Check the hoses and the outlet once a year, because a leaking pipe sends water into the boat as well as out of it.
Worth remembering
Discharge
only where authority and marina allow it
Tank
or shore connection where it is banned
Ask in writing what applies to grey water on your mooring before you move aboard.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Can I let shower water from my houseboat into the river?
That depends on the waterway, the navigation authority and the marina. On many lakes and protected waters it is banned, and residential moorings increasingly need a tank. Ask in writing before you move aboard.
Who answers if waste water from a houseboat pollutes the water?
The owner of the boat. Authorities can impose fines and recover clean-up costs, and the marina or others affected may claim as well.
Do I need a grey water tank?
Wherever discharge is not allowed, yes, or a fixed connection to the sewer ashore. If you are looking for a new mooring, settle this before signing the agreement.
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