The matter in summary: From 1 July it will be prohibited to empty septic tanks from leisure boats in the Oslofjord. Boat owners fear that many will empty directly into the sea because the emptying stations are difficult to use. Færder municipality has increased the number of emptying stations for boat septic tanks from two to six, but has no plans to rebuild them. Secretary General of the Royal Norwegian Boating Association believes that the ban will not be possible to enforce until the offer is better along the entire fjord. Climate and Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen believes there are many places where waste can be delivered, but adds that there is a need to build more emptying stations. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – Now we are standing on a pier that is a little too high. Here it is a bit cumbersome to get to and certainly not an easy place to empty, says Gaute Nordbotten. With lower water resistance, the water boat owner would not have been able to use this emptying station at Kjøpmannskjær in Færder. But soon boaters will have no choice. From 1 July it will be prohibited to empty septic tanks from recreational boats in the Oslofjord. Nordbotten believes that some boat owners will follow the ban and empty at the emptying stations, but is afraid that many will empty straight into the sea. – It will become a dormant section that neither the police nor others will follow up on. – No big problem Gaute Nordbotten is satisfied with the number of emptying stations in the vicinity, but thinks it would have been much easier if they were on floating jetties and that the nozzle was automatically fixed. Boat owner Gaute Nordbotten says it is difficult both to add and to empty at a number of the emptying stations. Photo: Gry Eirin Skjelbred / news Færder municipality has increased the number of emptying stations for boat sewage from two to six, but has no plans to rebuild them. – We have just established them, and we have to see how it goes this year. In addition, there is a rather long hose to the boat, so I can’t see that there is any major problem, says Mona Bjune, business manager for operations and facilities. – An exemption should be granted But in several municipalities along the Oslo Fjord there are no emptying stations, and those that exist do not always work. Until the offer is better along the entire fjord, the politicians should grant a dispensation, believes general secretary Stig Hvide Smith of the Royal Norwegian Boating Association. Stig Hvide Smith of the Royal Norwegian Boating Association believes that the ban on emptying boat septic tanks will not be possible to enforce. Photo: KNBF – We are not against the ban. It’s just not possible to enforce. We have to live with it until the politicians provide emptying stations that exist and work. Boat owners have long warned against a ban on emptying septic tanks because they do not understand how it will be carried out. – Many places to deliver the waste Cod has become a rare sight in the Oslofjord, and emissions of nitrogen from industry, agriculture and sewage are suffocating marine plants at the bottom of the fjord. It is because of the critical condition in the fjord that the ban on boat septic now comes. The government believes that access to emptying stations in the municipalities is good. Climate and Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen (Ap) believes there are many places to deliver the waste from boats. Photo: William Jobling / news – There are over 40 emptying stations around the fjord, so there are many places where you can deliver the waste, says climate and environment minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen (Ap). He still adds that there is a need to build more, but says it is good to see that municipalities are already in the process. In the autumn of 2022, according to an overview from the Norwegian Environment Agency, there were 42 emptying facilities for boat septic tanks around the Oslofjord, and that this will probably increase to 44 the following summer. Photo: Skjermdump/Miljødirektoratet/Mjøfartdirektoratet Many have to rebuild their boat Until today, Norwegian boat owners have been able to empty their toilets as much as they want in the Oslofjord as long as it is at least 300 meters from shore. Now that everyone with a boat in the Oslofjord must empty the septic tank at established reception facilities, many will probably have to rebuild their boat to make this happen. Tony Eriksen has been repairing boats for 30 years and says this applies to many of the boats from before 1990. – It can quickly cost NOK 10,000 to rebuild an old boat to empty the septic tank. Boat owner Gaute Nordbotten has rebuilt the boat himself. A pipe has been inserted so that the septic tank can be emptied at the emptying stations. Photo: Gry Eirin Skjelbred / news Published 30.06.2024, at 08.29
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– I don’t think anyone will follow it up – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
