The results of two recent environmental studies regarding cruise
ship wastewater discharge provide new and significant scientific
insight into the low environmental impacts of cruise ship
operations on the marine environment. Two independent yet
interrelated studies by the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
(ADEC) provide a major step in understanding the environmental
impact of cruise ships. Significantly, results from a recent EPA
study showed that the dilution of discharges from cruise ships
moving between 9.1 and 17.4 knots are diluted by a factor of
between 200,000:1 and 640,000:1. Measured dilutions were found
to be significantly higher than the 40,000:1 initial dilution
prediction made in 2000 by the cruise industry. The higher the
dilution rates, the less negative impact on the water quality.
During August 2001, the EPA monitored the discharges of four
cruise ships off the coast of Miami, Florida to determine how
quickly ship wastewater was di