Raw sewage and garbage from thousands of boaters is still fouling our beautiful Quartermaster Harbor. There are dumping stations, and a few boaters use them, but the attitude of the majority has not changed. We still have gobs of toilet paper and garbage floating up on our beach just like back in 1919 when my mother can remember the first time she saw a gob.

It’s been that way for almost 100 years. I complain and plead my case, but no one is paying attention yet. The attitude is “who cares.” Well, I care, and I am pushing for a law that requires a garbage pickup and sewage pump boat to pick up garbage and pump every boat tied up on Quartermaster Harbor that has people living on it. 

People generate a lot of garbage and use the head several times a day. There’s not enough garbage storage or septic holding capacity on a boat, so boats with people living on them require daily pickup and pumping.

Each boat has a number so the pump operator will record everything using that number. The days of thousands of boaters using our beautiful harbor for their sewer and garbage dump are going to end before 100 years.

— Bill Rowling