marychrismith
MN
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I don't recall ever reading anything as to why a person can't drain their grey water tank out into the woods behind one's campsite (only if wooded and no-one behind you i.e. room to soak into ground)... What are the pro's & con's of doing such and is doing such against the law? Inform me as those blue totes are mightly expensive and look bulky to store.
MC Smith
Minneapolis, MN
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past-MIdirector
Michigan
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In most states it is illegal to drain any water from a holding tank on the ground but you can use your outside shower. I think if you check your state it's illegal. The whole thing is if it's been in a holding tank it does not matter which one it must go to the dump station. We have used tote for years and they are not a problem unless you over fill or the dump hose springs a leak.
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FXSTOHIO
Ohio
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Your gray water holding tank has soap in it and anything else you had on your hands or body when you washed / showered. I don't know of any place you can legally dump your holding tank on the ground.
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marychrismith
MN
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What if you just put a hose on the grey tank somehow and let it drain as water is used freely into the woods then technically it would not have been "stored"? Just wondering as it fills so fast. Tenter's don't seem to have a problem with throwing out the dishwater and spitting toothpaste and rinse etc into the woods surrounding their campsite... No I'm not trying to be gross. Remember the "olden days" when folks used to throw out their slop buckets (potato peelings etc) to the livestock etc... Do DW detergents and body soaps have phosphates in them anymore? Other than the phosphate issue, food particles possibly attracting animals and possibility of making mud/wet ground for a bit I don't see the harm, esp. when not near the campsite or hikable/campable area...
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George H
Washington
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NO Phosphates, mud, animals...........
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troll3193
SouthWest, MI USA
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we stay at a CG every year that every 100 feet or so has the bottom third of a 55 gallon drum sitting on the ground with a foot of sand in it... It is used for dumping your grey water in... I assume the sand filters it and then it goes into the ground....
At my house I have a septic tank, the difference between dumping it on the ground and in the tank is 15 inches....
I do not do it at campgrounds, but really have no issue dumping it on the ground at home...
Bryan
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Cosworth
Winter Park
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Forget about the legal aspects of Dumping/draining grey water for a moment. Think about the area around a camp site with hundreds of people dumping/draining grey water all the time. Even if you don't step in the mushy ground, the smell of grey water is not what I like to smell when getting away from it all.
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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Joined: 12/17/2003
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It's an individual campground rule. Ask about it when checking in but MOST places that DO allow dumping gray water have special provisions for doing so. Remember gray water can stink almost as bad as black water and nobody will want to camp near you if you're just releasing on your or someone elses campsite. Good luck / skip
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MudChucker
Niverville Manitoba
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I've often thought it odd that we are not permitted to dump our grey onto the ground... then I started dating an NRO who gave me some really good reasons...
reason 1, during the dryer seasons where there is not a lot of rain, your soaps and such may not run off or biodegrade before the next folks come along and set up their camp over your mess, who wants the smell of someone elses shampoo, dishwater and toothpaste in their dinner tent ?
reason 2, Some folks are not clear on which tank is wich - nuff said
raeson 3, Some folks put more down the drain then just soap and toothpaste... for example, the girl I was dating had to call in a clean up crew to remove a "potentialy dangerous spill" at a camp site after a camper had moved on, they contacted the person who had booked the site to ask about the mess and to ask if they had dumped their black tank...the person told them no, they never dump their black tank, and only let out the grey... well, it seems that the couple who were camping that weekend had a baby in cloth diapers, and they were using the bathtub to rinse out the diapers because they were worried about losing the expensive cloth down the toilet hole...
I think if folks would dump a few gallons into the bush thats one thing, but 20 or 30 gallons in one shot might be a bit much, the good ol days it was just a mouthfull of hork and toothpaste along with a single dishpan...
Just imagine how gross the inside of your grey tank might be... dunno about you, but I dont want to know that my picnic tent is over top of someones grey dump...
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MudChucker
Niverville Manitoba
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skipnchar
I love your signature my friend...
"How about a fountain of Smart"
Priceless !
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