laws, technicalities, and RVer feedback about a common practice.
Back in the day
it was common for campers to drain gray water onto the ground without thinking twice about it.Early RVs didn't even have holding tanks.
is it still OK to dump gray water onto the ground?
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Nope.
The effects of dumping untreated gray water are better understood today.
Wastewater isn't even considered gray water unless it's treated with a filtration system.
Untreated gray water carries bacteria and pathogens that makes people & pets sick.Wiping dinner plates with paper towels doesn't get rid of germs.
Unless you have a filtering system for your RV gray water, you are technically dumping raw sewage onto the ground.
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This is the elephant in the room among all RVers who admit to occasionally doing the dirty deed.
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Many RVers who enjoy boondocking try to do the right thing if they think they'll dump gray water onto the ground.
They use biodegradable soaps and avoid letting anything too disgusting go into their gray water tanks.
There is mass confusion about the legality of dumping gray water. For instance, the US Forest Service has flyers about where to release gray water in the backcountry.But here's the thing:
Those flyers don't say how much gray water is OK to dump. That advice is likely intended for tent campers.
Let's be real.
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An RVer who dumps gray water onto the ground, is going to dump way more gray water than a tent camper or hiker.
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Many RVers believe it's still OK to drain gray water without sewer hookups. This is
They point to states where gray water dumping and recycling is allowed, like Arizona and New Mexico.
But here's the thing about those states:
For example, in Arizona, you can only dump gray water on your own property.
For example, in Arizona, you can only dump gray water on your own property.
In places where gray water dumping is allowed, certain rules must be followed.
Dumping on public land is not legal, safe, or cool.
Dumping on public land is not legal, safe, or cool.
But when a dump station trip is too inconvenient, there's little to stop an RVer from doing the deed.
More boondocking areas are closing because of unsanitary conditions.
Do I want to be the next RVer who camps on top of my dirty gray water tomorrow?
Learn more about RV gray water dumping
RVers tempted to dump gray water must ask an important question: