So-called “water quality consultant” Gershon Cohen is either trying to mislead the public or really doesn’t know what he is talking about in the recent article on cruise ship discharges. The State of Alaska does not make up discharge permit limits and just assume that it protects the environment. The State of Alaska standards are very tough and they should be. The modeling done on allowable discharges is based upon complicated science. It is applied to cruise ships and municipalities alike. Whether it is the Zaandam or it is the Haines Borough municipal treatment, permittees are required to take samples of water to determine if the permit standards are adequate to protect human and aquatic life. The difference, however, is that cruise ships are required to have a higher level of treatment technology. Our municipal system is so rudimentary that it requires a waiver to even be able to operate. Instead of trying to scare the community, maybe the paper could actually illustrate how good the cruise ships do in comparison to the communities they visit.
Karen Hess