Correction – Raritan Electro-Scan Review

In the October issue of Canadian Yachting and Canadian Yachting West, we erred in our description of the Raritan Electro-Scan sewage treatment system. The manufacturer claimed, and we repeated, an incomplete statement that this system treated onboard sewage to a level safe enough to pump overboard with no further treatment. In fact, this is only true in some jurisdictions in the United States. It may be true in Washington State, for example, but it is not true in Canada.

In Canada now, no discharge at all is allowed within one mile of shore. And discharge is only allowed directly into the ocean at locations three clear miles from shore. Of course, there are exceptions allowed for maritime areas of inlets, bays and such where there never is a body of water three miles from shore.

In effect, while in Canadian waters a holding tank will almost always be needed, so the Raritan system doesn’t offer as much of an advantage. Watch for a complete review of the newly updated Canadian sewage regulations in a future issue of Canadian Yachting West.