From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel
Subject: Re: Free Dump sites in NW Washington?
Date: Sun, 04 Apr 2004 23:53:34 -0400
Message-ID: <45l170llj4evrrapp1nuje3026iffsqo4p@4ax.com>

On Sun, 04 Apr 2004 13:32:42 -0700, wwemu@cwnet.com wrote:

>I can't speak as to WA but in talking to the man in charge of the dump
>stations for Cal Trans in CA, he was telling me that the abuse is one
>of the reasons for closings.  Seems like there are "home mechanics"
>that think that is a place to dump their used motor oil and other
>stuff. Of course, this plays havoc with the septic system that
>services the rest area.  Another favorite trick is for folks to shove
>a 1 qt. can down into the whole, blocking the whole system which then
>requires tearing up the pavement etc. to effect repairs.  These
>vandals are the ones that are causing many RVers to lose their
>facilities.

I hate to say this but, aaahh, bullsh*t.  Either that guy's jerking you off
or....

I'm trying to visualize the "home mechanic" who would bottle up his oil and
haul it all the way to a rest area just to dump it in the RV dump.  Instead of
turning it in at any store that sells oil, said store being required by law to
accept the oil.  Or throwing it in the garbage.  Or in the dumpster somewhere
more convenient.

I'm sure that there has been "a" case, probably more along the line of someone
having to do emergency repairs in the rest area and disposing of the oil on
the spot.

As for stopping the line with oil cans, requiring digging up the line, again
BS.  Any rotorooter man worth his snake has a spiral hook attachment for his
rooting machine that will snag and retrieve most anything stuck in a sewer.  A
plumber used one to retrieve tennis balls from my sewer at my house in PA
where the neighborhood yard apes had dropped them after removing the mushroom
cap on the vent.  Here, my plumber has removed coke cans, rocks and even 10 ft
sticks of galvanized pipe from my drain using that attachment. It's hard to
imagine anything someone could cram down a dump opening that this hook could
not retrieve.  No doubt there's a tiny grain of truth somewhere in this tale -
someone probably DID dig up a drain fetching out an oil can because they
didn't know any better - but it certainly is NOT a problem worth note.

If they ARE closing dump stations over there it's because some 2-bit pinhead
bureaucrat decided so.

Over here on this end of the country dump stations are proliferating.  Georgia
has 'em at almost every rest stop.  Alabama is retrofitting them as they
remodel rest areas.  I've heard that Tennessee is going to start.  Many areas
in NC have 'em.  No knowledge of other states.

These types of rumors are especially bad because they sound just credible
enough for bureaucrats in other states to believe them.  I HAVE seen evidence
of dumbass stunts at rest area dump stations but no worse than private ones.
People who let the hose get loose or don't bother with a hose at all.  But
that goes with the territory.  I wonder if anyone would suggest taking away
the garbage cans because someone occasionally dumps out a bag of trash on the
ground next to a can?

John