Chapter 8ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
prevention of accidental oil spills. Tanks,
pipelines, and valves should be periodically in-
spected for corrosion. The proper operation and
sealing of valves and pumping units are a must.
A daily record of tank levels, and observance
of standard operating procedures for many shore
facilities and all ships, are effective ways for
detecting slow leaks before a major equipment
failure occurs. Hydrostatic testing of hoses,
pipelines and storage tanks should be performed
periodically to verify their use for oil service.
Operating personnel should be encouraged to
report unsafe conditions in equipment or pro-
cedures. Another good practice is to report and
document causes of oil spill near misses so that
preventive action can be initiated. All inspections
and records should be in accordance with
established written procedures and should remain
on file for the use of new personnel and for the
identification of deteriorating trends in
equipment.
The Navy is expending time, money, and ef-
fort to reduce environmental pollution. Therefore,
close supervision must be exercised over all opera-
tions involving fuel handling, waste disposal, and
use and disposal of toxic materials. Personnel
must be aware of pollution problems and the
necessity to reduce pollution occurrences. Within
ones area of responsibility, regular inspection and
monitoring procedures must be conducted to en-
sure compliance with all applicable regulations
and operating procedures for pollution control
devices.
You will find more detailed information on
oil spills in NAVFAC P-908. This publication will
provide you with information about policy, rules,
regulations, and procedures for the prevention of
oil spills. It will also provide you with informa-
tion on what type of equipment is used to
remove/contain oil spills, what are the procedures
for cleaning the equipment, and what procedures
to follow when reporting the cost of an oil spill.
COLLECTION, HOLDING, AND
TRANSFER SYSTEM
The environmental effects that result from
sewage discharges into rivers, harbors, and coastal
waters by naval ships are of great concern to the
Navy. The Navy is required to control sewage
discharges under regulations promulgated by the
8-13
Secretary of Defense. Navy policies and respon-
sibilities are defined in OPNAVINST 6240.3.
The Navy plans to equip each naval ship with
a marine sanitation device (MSD) which will
enable a ship to comply with the sewage discharge
standards without compromising the ship mission
capability.
Sewage discharge regulations do not preclude
overboard discharge when an emergency situation
exists and when failure to discharge would en-
danger the health and safety of personnel.
In the past, shipboard sewage has been
discharged overboard as a matter of routine.
Studies have shown that concentration of sewage
in inland waters, ports, harbors, and coastal
waters of the United States had detrimental ef-
fects on the environment.
In 1972, anticipating the present regulations,
the CNO made the policy decision to install the
Sewage Collection, Holding, and Transfer (CHT)
system aboard naval ships which could employ
this method of sewage pollution control without
serious reduction in military capabilities. The
CHT system represented the least cost and risk
solution to the problem.
The design goal of the CHT system is to pro-
vide the capacity to hold shipboard sewage
generated over a 12-hour period. This goal can
usually be achieved in large ships. Smaller ships,
where the maximum capacity limits holding times
to 3 hours or less, which is insufficient time to
transit a 3-mile restricted zone, cannot achieve
such a goal.
ELEMENTS OF THE CHT SYSTEM
Most operational fleet ships of sufficient size
will be equipped with CHT systems. This system
is designed to accept soil drains from water closets
and urinals and waste drains from showers, laun-
dries, and galleys. As the name of the system im-
plies, sewage collection, holding, and transfer are
three functional elements which constitute the
CHT system.
Collection Element
The collection element consists of soil and
waste drains with diverter valves. Depending on
the position of the diverter valves, the soil or waste
