Port-o-John Pumpout Schedule

[Jay]

I was trying to come up with a better discussion title.  This board usually has such interesting topics on very positive subjects.

 

My wife and I have been out for overnights on two separate trips in the past three weeks.  I am indicating TP status only that I think if the John has TP - someone must have been out there recently - I bring my own. Observations:

 

Lard Can - Stopped for a lav break Friday.  Could barely get in the John due to it being filled with trash. Can was filled nearly full. Disgusting.  Stopped at Pearl and skipped the Can today on the way out.

 

Pearl Bay - Spent the night three weeks ago.  Pretty good load in the tank - but there was still TP - so someone had been there relatively recently.  Was there for a lav stop this afternoon... getting very full - No TP.

 

Lane Bay - Friday Night, Very full. No TP.

 

Hells Bay - Spent Saturday night. Getting very full.  Quite foul. No TP.

 

Does anyone know how often these are pumped out.  Other than the disgusting conditions in the John's - an otherwise fantastic weekend - despite the rain, and the wind.

 

I am not trying to be negative here...and I am not sure what I can do to help...except not contributing to leaving trash at a Chickee.  (I would have hauled out some from LC if I could have...but my craft was full).

 

Jay

 

 

[Ross Hancock]

My experiences have been favorable. Maybe report conditions after site usage if there's a problem.

On my very first chickee trip, years ago, rangers came in the night to check my permit, and they checked for TP while they were there.  I thought that might be normal, but I haven't had an onsite permit check since. (Don't get a chocolate on my pillow, either.)

It seems like they would know the level of usage of a site from the permits, and have a formula for TP replacement and pumpout. But I'm not sure they enter the permits into a system.

Which leads to my next wishlist item: online permits. Then they could automatedly survey you after usage regarding the loo, site conditions, wildlife observations/fish catches (for study), and needed repairs.

[Ross Hancock]

Jay, I passed a southbound honey barge on Onion Bay the first weekend of Feb.

[Jay]

Thanks Ross. 

The first two times I landed on a Chickee, there was TP - that was something I did not expect.   Knowing how much we go though in my household, I figured they would not even bother.  It is nice they seem to try, but it is something I wasn't expecting.

How many honey barges are out there?  Any idea as to how long it takes them to make the rotation?  Maybe we could call the Discovery Chanel and see if Mike Rowe would want to do a segment for Dirty Jobs?  ;)

[Ross Hancock]

Mike Rowe is filming his next episode at my house -- doing my 1040. I'm sure he'd much rather have honey barge duty.

[vivian]

The north end johns get pretty bad in high use times like during the xmas vacations. You would think they could step up the routine in high permit demand periods. They also need to take into consideration that the johns are not only used by those with a permit but by passing powerboaters and paddlers. I am sure you all have been visited by a large group of Outward Bounders stopping to use the john? Then you get the tour groups.....so the previously clean john at your site is now full and disgusting.

 

Instead of the park spending money on building new inaccessible chickees they should be able to service the existing sites and that may mean buying another honey barge. Remember a couple of years ago when the one at the north end broke? And then the time the only person trained to run the barge was out sick for a few weeks?

 

Lard Can - when we were there a couple of weeks ago we picked up an entire garbage bag of trash from the beer bottles left behind by campers. They also left empty beer bottles along the entire hells bay trail and we picked up those we could get to. My friend reported this on her way back to Flamingo.

 

[Kim Gass]

I do have a wish and that is for people NOT to stash food in the portapotties overnight.  At Watson's this seems to be a practice to avoid coon damage. Its not a far piece for that stuff to wind up in the tank.  Its a favorite Outward Bound site too. 

If you got it there you can get it out. Lets try and be proactive lest the NPS require we carry groovers or marine toilets. 

 

I agree that the powerboaters often stop by but they just do number 2. No garbage from them  from what I have seen.

[Michael Waldman]

Just got back from Hell's Bay, Lane Bay and Roberts River Chickee's. All were clean and full of T.P.

The Ranger at Flamingo told us the barge had just come back from emptying the port-o-john's the other day!!

 

Have fun!

 

Mike