Wastewater sampling and analysis for commercial passenger vessels

Since July 1, 2001, Alaska law requires commercial passenger ships with at least 50 overnight passengers to take a minimum of two wastewater samples per year. Wastewater includes blackwater from toilets and graywater produced from sinks, showers and laundry facilities. From 2000-2002, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation received data from these sampling events. Obtaining truly representative sampling data for ships that do not discharge in port was difficult because the fecal coliform test has a 6-hour maximum holding time. When considered in its entirety, the sampling results obtained over the last three seasons do provide a representative picture of the range and averages of pollutants in various types of cruise ship discharges. The sampling results show whether treatment systems were functional and the effectiveness of the different treatment types. The data also shows the unique characteristics of different sources of wastewater.