David, It is illegal to discharge raw sewage into coastal or inland navigable waters. It has been illegal since 1978, when the Federal Clean Water Act Amendments came into force. I have been told the fine is $5,000. I have also been told that the legal interpretation is that just about everything eventually drains into a navigable waterway, so a discharge almost anywhere may result in a violation of the CWA. In the late 1990s states were given the authority to declare Non Discharge Zones (NDZ) where the discharge of treated wastes is prohibited. There are strict standards as to what constitutes treated wastes. Like everything else, there are places where this is enforced vigorously. And places where it is not. http://www.epa.gov/region5/water/cwa.htm steve Steve R. M-15 #119 Lexington, KY