The purpose of this subpart is to implement “Title XIV—Certain Alaskan Cruise Ship Operations” contained in section 1(a)(4) of Pub. L. 106-554, enacted on December 21, 2000, by prescribing regulations governing the discharges of sewage and graywater from cruise vessels, require sampling and testing of sewage and graywater discharges, and establish reporting and record keeping requirements.

This subpart applies to each cruise vessel authorized to carry 500 or more passengers operating in the waters of the Alexander Archipelago and the navigable waters of the United States within the State of Alaska and within the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

In this subpart:

Administrator—means the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Applicable Waters of Alaska—means the waters of the Alexander Archipelago and the navigable waters of the United States within the State of Alaska and within the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Captain of the Port—means the Captain of the Port as defined in Subpart 3.85 of this chapter.

Conventional Pollutants—means the list of pollutants listed in 40 CFR 401.16.

Cruise Vessel—means a passenger vessel as defined in section 2101(22) of Title 46, United States Code. The term does not include a vessel of the United States operated by the federal government or a vessel owned and operated by the government of a State.

Discharge—means a release, however caused, from a cruise vessel, and includes, any escape, disposal, spilling, leaking, pumping, emitting or emptying.

Environmental Compliance Records—includes the Sewage and Graywater Discharge Record Book, all discharge reports, all discharge sampling test results, as well as any other records that must be kept under this subpart.

Graywater—means only galley, dishwasher, bath, and laundry waste water. The term does not include other wastes or waste streams.

Navigable Waters—has the same meaning as in section 502 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended.

Person—means an individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association, state, municipality, commission or political subdivision of a state, or any federally recognized Indian tribal government.

Priority Pollutant—means the list of toxic pollutants listed in 40 CFR 401.15.

Sewage—means human body wastes and the wastes from toilets and other receptacles intended to receive or retain body waste.

Treated Sewage—means sewage meeting all applicable effluent limitation standards and processing requirements of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended and of Title XIV of Public Law 106-554 “Certain Alaskan Cruise Ship Operations”, and regulations promulgated under either.

Untreated Sewage—means sewage that is not treated sewage.

Waters Of The Alexander Archipelago—means all waters under the sovereignty of the United States within or near Southeast Alaska as follows:

(1) Beginning at a point 58°11-44 N, 136°39-25 W [near Cape Spencer Light], thence southeasterly along a line three nautical miles seaward of the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured in the Pacific Ocean and the Dixon Entrance, except where this line intersects geodesics connecting the following five pairs of points:

(2) The portion of each such geodesic in paragraph (1) of this definition situated beyond 3 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial seas is measured from the outer limit of the waters of the Alexander Archipelago in those five locations.

No person shall discharge any untreated sewage from a cruise vessel into the applicable waters of Alaska.

(a) No person shall discharge treated sewage or graywater from a cruise vessel into the applicable waters of Alaska unless:

(1) The cruise vessel is underway and proceeding at a speed of not less than six knots;

(2) The cruise vessel is not less than one nautical mile from the nearest shore, except in areas designated by the Coast Guard in consultation with the State of Alaska;

(3) The discharge complies with all applicable cruise vessel effluent standards established pursuant to Pub. L. 106-554 and any other applicable law, and

(4) The cruise vessel is not in an area where the discharge of treated sewage or graywater is prohibited.

(b) Until such time as the Administrator promulgates regulations addressing effluent quality standards for cruise vessels operating in the applicable waters of Alaska, treated sewage and graywater may be discharged from vessels in circumstances otherwise prohibited under paragraph (a)(1) and (2) of this section provided that:

(1) Notification to the Captain of the Port (COTP) is made not less than 30 days prior to the planned discharge, and such notice includes results of tests showing compliance with this section;

(2) The discharge satisfies the minimum level of effluent quality specified in 40 CFR 133.102;

(3) The geometric mean of the samples from the discharge during any 30-day period does not exceed 20 fecal coliform/100 milliliters (ml) and not more than 10 percent of the samples exceed 40 fecal coliform/100 ml;

(4) Concentrations of total residual chlorine do not exceed 10.0 micrograms per liter (µgm/l);

(5) Prior to any such discharge occurring, the owner, operator or master, or other person in charge of a cruise vessel, can demonstrate to the COTP that test results from at least five samples taken from the vessel representative of the effluent to be discharged, on different days over a 30-day period, conducted in accordance with the guidelines promulgated by the Administrator in 40 CFR part 136, which confirm that the water quality of the effluents proposed for discharge is in compliance with paragraphs (b)(2), (3) and (4) of this section; and

(6) To the extent not otherwise being done by the owner, operator, master or other person in charge of a cruise vessel, pursuant to § 159.317 of this subpart, the owner, operator, master or other person in charge of a cruise vessel shall demonstrate continued compliance through sampling and testing for conventional pollutants and residual chlorine of all treated sewage and graywater effluents periodically as determined by the COTP.

The regulations in this subpart shall not apply to discharges made for the purpose of securing the safety of the cruise vessel or saving life at sea, provided that all reasonable precautions have been taken for the purpose of preventing or minimizing the discharge.

(a) Cruise vessels operating within the applicable waters of Alaska are subject to inspection by the Coast Guard to ensure compliance with this subpart.

(b) An inspection under this section shall include an examination of the Sewage and Graywater Discharge Record Book required under § 159.315 of this subpart, environmental compliance records, and a general examination of the vessel. A copy of any entry in the Sewage and Graywater Discharge Record Book may be made and the Master of the vessel may be required to certify that the copy is a true copy of the original entry.

(c) A vessel not in compliance with this subpart may be subject to the penalties set out in § 159.321, denied entry into the applicable waters of Alaska, detained, or restricted in its operations by order of the COTP.

(a) While operating in the applicable waters of Alaska each cruise vessel shall maintain, in English, a legible Sewage and Graywater Discharge Record Book with the vessel's name and official number listed on the front cover and at the top of each page.

(b) Entries shall be made in the Sewage and Graywater Discharge Record Book whenever any of the following is released into the applicable waters of Alaska:

(1) Treated or untreated sewage;

(2) Graywater; or

(3) Sewage and graywater mixture.

(c) Each entry in the Sewage and Graywater Discharge Record Book shall, at a minimum, contain the following information:

(1) Name and location of each discharge port within the ship;

(2) Date the start of discharge occurred;

(3) Whether the effluent is treated or untreated sewage, graywater, or a sewage and graywater mixture and type of treatment used;

(4) Time discharge port is opened;

(5) Vessel's latitude and longitude at the time the discharge port is opened;

(6) Volume discharged in cubic meters;

(7) Flow rate of discharge in liters per minute;

(8) Time discharge port is secured;

(9) Vessel's latitude and longitude at the time the discharge port is secured; and

(10) Vessel's minimum speed during discharge.

(d) In the event of an emergency, accidental or other exceptional discharge of sewage or graywater, a statement shall be made in the Sewage and Graywater Discharge Record Book of the circumstances and reasons for the discharge and an immediate notification of the discharge shall be made to the COTP.

(e) Each entry of a discharge shall be recorded without delay and signed and dated by the person or persons in charge of the discharge concerned and each completed page shall be signed and dated by the master or other person having charge of the ship.

(f) The Sewage and Graywater Discharge Record Book shall be kept in such a place as to be readily available for inspection at all reasonable times and shall be kept on board the ship.

(g) The master or other person having charge of a ship required to keep a Sewage and Graywater Discharge Record Book shall be responsible for the maintenance of such record.

(h) The Sewage and Graywater Discharge Record Book shall be maintained on board for not less than three years.

(a) The owner, operator, master or other person in charge of a cruise vessel that discharges treated sewage and/or graywater in the applicable waters of Alaska shall;

(1) Not less than 90 days prior to each vessel's initial entry into the applicable waters of Alaska during any calendar year, provide to the COTP certification of participation under a Quality Assurance/Quality Control Plan (QA/QCP) accepted by the COTP for sampling and analysis of treated sewage and/or graywater for the current operating season;

(2) Not less than 30 days nor more than 120 days prior to each vessel's initial entry into the applicable waters of Alaska during any calendar year, provide a certification to the COTP that the vessel's treated sewage and graywater effluents meet the minimum standards established by the Administrator, or in the absence of such standards, meet the minimum established in § 159.319 of this subpart;

(3) Within 30 days of each vessel's initial entry into the applicable waters of Alaska during any calendar year, provide to the COTP a Vessel Specific Sampling Plan (VSSP) for review and acceptance, and undergo sampling and testing for conventional pollutants of all treated sewage and graywater effluents as directed by the COTP;

(4) While operating in the applicable waters of Alaska be subject to unannounced sampling of treated sewage and graywater discharge effluents, or combined treated sewage/graywater discharge effluents for the purpose of testing for a limited suite, as determined by the Coast Guard, of priority pollutants;

(5) While operating in the applicable waters of Alaska be subject to additional random sampling events, in addition to all other required sampling, of some or all treated sewage and graywater discharge effluents for conventional and/or priority pollutant testing as directed by the COTP;

(6) Ensure all samples, as required by this section, are collected and tested by a laboratory accepted by the Coast Guard for the testing of conventional and priority pollutants, as defined by this subpart, and in accordance with the cruise vessel's Coast Guard accepted QA/QCP and VSSP;

(7) Pay all costs associated with development of an acceptable QA/QCP and VSSP, sampling and testing of effluents, reporting of results, and any additional environmental record keeping as required by this subpart, not to include cost of federal regulatory oversight.

(b) A QA/QCP must, at a minimum include:

(1) Sampling techniques and equipment, sampling preservation methods and holding times, and transportation protocols, including chain of custody;

(2) Laboratory analytical information including methods used, calibration, detection limits, and the laboratory's internal QA/QC procedures;

(3) Quality assurance audits used to determine the effectiveness of the QA program; and

(4) Procedures and deliverables for data validation used to assess data precision and accuracy, the representative nature of the samples drawn, comparability, and completeness of measure parameters.

(c) A VSSP is a working document used during the sampling events required under this section and must, at a minimum, include:

(1) Vessel name;

(2) Passenger and crew capacity of the vessel;

(3) Daily water use of the vessel;

(4) Holding tank capacities for treated sewage and graywater;

(5) Vessel schematic of discharge ports and corresponding sampling ports;

(6) Description of discharges; and

(7) A table documenting the type of discharge, type of sample drawn (grab or composite), parameters to test for (conventional or priority pollutants), vessel location when sample drawn, date and time of the sampling event.

(d) Test results for conventional pollutants shall be submitted within 15 calendar days of the date the sample was collected, and for priority pollutants within 30 calendar days of the date the sample was collected, to the COTP directly by the laboratory conducting the testing and in accordance with the Coast Guard accepted QA/QCP.

(e) Samples collected for analysis under this subpart shall be held by the laboratory contracted to do the analysis for not less than six months, or as directed by the COTP.

(f) Reports required under this section may be written or electronic. If electronic, the reports must be in a format readable by Coast Guard and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation data systems.

(a) Treated sewage effluent discharges. Until such time as the Administrator promulgates effluent discharge standards for treated sewage, treated sewage effluent discharges in the applicable waters of Alaska shall not have a fecal coliform bacterial count of greater than 200 per 100 ml nor total suspended solids greater than 150 mg/l.

(b) Graywater effluent discharges. [Reserved]

(a) Administrative Penalties—(1) Violations. Any person who violates this subpart may be assessed a class I or class II civil penalty by the Secretary or his delegatee.

(2) Classes of penalties. (i) Class I. The amount of a class I civil penalty under this section may not exceed $10,000 per violation, except that the maximum amount of any class I civil penalty under this section shall not exceed $25,000. Before assessing a civil penalty under this subparagraph, the Secretary or his delegatee shall give to the person to be assessed such penalty written notice of the Secretary's proposal to assess the penalty and the opportunity to request, within 30 days of the date the notice is received by such person, a hearing on the proposed penalty. Such hearing shall not be subject to 5 U.S.C. 554 or 556, but shall provide a reasonable opportunity to be heard and to present evidence.

(ii) Class II. The amount of a class II civil penalty under this section may not exceed $10,000 per day for each day during which the violation continues, except that the maximum amount of any class II civil penalty under this section shall not exceed $125,000. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (a) of this section, a class II civil penalty shall be assessed and collected in the same manner, and subject to the same provisions as in the case of civil penalties assessed and collected after notice and an opportunity for hearing on the record in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 554. Proceedings to assess a class II administrative civil penalty under this section will be governed by 33 CFR Part 20.

(3) Rights of interested persons. (i) Public notice. Before issuing an order assessing a class II civil penalty under this paragraph, the Secretary shall provide public notice of and reasonable opportunity to comment on the proposed issuance of each order.

(ii) Presentation of evidence. Any person who comments on a proposed assessment of a class II civil penalty under this section shall be given notice of any hearing held under paragraph (a) of this section, and of the order assessing such penalty. In any hearing held under paragraph (a)(3) of this section, such person shall have a reasonable opportunity to be heard and present evidence.

(iii) Rights of interested persons to a hearing. If no hearing is held under paragraph (a)(2) of this section before issuance of an order assessing a class II civil penalty under this section, any person who commented on the proposed assessment may petition, within 30 days after the issuance of such an order, the Secretary or his delegatee to set aside such order and provide a hearing on the penalty. If the evidence presented by the petitioner in support of the petition is material and was not considered in the issuance of the order, the Secretary, or his delegatee, shall immediately set aside such order and provide a hearing in accordance with paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section. If the Secretary or his delegatee denies a hearing under this clause, the Secretary or his delegatee shall provide to the petitioner and publish in the Federal Register notice of and the reasons for such denial.

(b) Civil judicial penalties—(1) Generally. Any person who violates this subpart shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $25,000 per day for each violation. Each day a violation continues constitutes a separate violation.

(2) Limitation. A person is not liable for a civil judicial penalty under this paragraph for a violation if the person has been assessed a civil administrative penalty under paragraph (a) of this section for the violation.

(c) Determination of amount. In determining the amount of a civil penalty under paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section, the court or the Secretary or his delegatee shall consider the seriousness of the violation, any history of such violations, any good-faith efforts to comply with applicable requirements, the economic impact of the penalty on the violator, and other such matters as justice may require.

(d) Criminal penalties—(1) Negligent violations. Any person who negligently violates this subpart commits a Class A misdemeanor.

(2) Knowing violations. Any person who knowingly violates this subpart commits a Class D felony.

(3) False statements. Any person who knowingly makes any false statement, representation, or certification in any record, report or other document filed or required to be maintained under this subpart, or who falsifies, tampers with, or knowingly renders inaccurate any testing or monitoring device or method required to be maintained under this subpart commits a Class D felony.

(e) Awards. (1) The Secretary or his delegatee or the court, when assessing any fines or civil penalties, as the case may be, may pay from any fines or civil penalties collected under this section an amount not to exceed one-half of the penalty or fine collected to any individual who furnished information which leads to the payment of the penalty or fine. If several individuals provide such information, the amount shall be divided equitably among such individuals. No officer or employee of the United States, the State of Alaska or any Federally recognized Tribe who furnishes information or renders service in the performance of his or her official duties shall be eligible for payment under this paragraph.

(2) The Secretary, his delegatee, or a court, when assessing any fines or civil penalties, as the case may be, may pay, from any fines or civil penalties collected under this section, to the State of Alaska or any Federally recognized Tribe providing information or investigative assistance which leads to payment of the penalty or fine, an amount which reflects the level of information or investigative assistance provided. Should the State of Alaska or a Federally recognized Tribe and an individual under paragraph (e)(1) of this section be eligible for an award, the Secretary, his delegatee, or the court, as the case may be, shall divide the amount equitably.

(f) Liability in rem. A cruise vessel operated in violation of this subpart is liable in rem for any fine imposed under paragraph (c) of this section or for any civil penalty imposed under paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section, and may be proceeded against in the United States district court of any district in which the cruise vessel may be found.