Pissing on the Playa

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:54 pm

Bullshit Phil.

Dumping greywater on the playa is a crime. Urine is "black" water and is also a crime to dump. I'll try to find the actual law for you.

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:05 pm

MrMullen wrote:
phil wrote:It's legal to take a leak on the playa, and people do. It's not necessary to pack it out, as the winter flood takes care of any residue after the liquid evaporates.
Actually, I don't think this is correct. As I understand it, peeing on the Playa is strictly forbidden and you can get a ticket for it. BLM and BMORG have an agreement to cause a little damage to the Playa as possible. Peeing being one of them.

Actually, the legal background for the citations is nothing more than public decency - public urination is illegal in almost any jurisdiction.

Zulegoona · Post by **Zulegoona** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 8:32 pm

Gray water http://www.burningman.com/preparation/e ... water.html

and it, still ok if your a individual or really small group....

â€œWhat about scattering my grey water? What might be okay for a small (less than 5 people) group doesn't work in a large city. For reasons of sanitation, and sheer volume, both Black Rock City and the BLM discourage scattering. However, if you're in a very small camp, with minimal dish and body washing water, you might choose to pour your grey water through a filter or sieve (better, a paint sieve or even pantyhose), disinfect the water, then, since it is treated, disperse it on your street to keep down dust. A watering can works nicely for sprinkling.â€

phil · Post by **phil** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 8:39 pm

Zulegoona wrote:Gray water http://www.burningman.com/preparation/e ... water.html

and it, still ok if your a individual or really small group....
>SNIP<

Yeah, I followed that up with an email to the person who wrote it. She said to use chlorine bleach. I read up on this last year to see what gray water is. Unfortunately, there's no one definition for either gray water or black water. The issue in both instances is not to contaminate ground water that's used for drinking. So treating the gray water with chlorine kills whatever bacteria are in there and makes it okay to sprinkle on the playa.

I posted the recipe on how much chlorine to add last year, based on her information. I suspect it could be re-located by good searchers.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:04 pm

What is it about the "No" in "Leave No Trace" that's unclear, Phil?

Take a sniff around the Man. Six years at the same location and it's getting a little rank, you know.

MikeVDS · Post by **MikeVDS** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:17 pm

Look, guys. Taking a dump on the playa is prohibited for a reason. Taking a leak on the playa is not prohibited for a reason.

It is obviously obnoxious at different levels. Most would agree that a steamy black turd is more annoying than a puddle that will dry up soon enough. I rarely ever worry about specific laws in specific places. If you behave in a reasonable manner we wouldn't need those laws in the first place. It's not reasonable to say "Go ahead, every one of you 40k people pee on the playa" It just wouldn't work out well. So if you just feel like peeing on the playa for the fun of it, understand that people who think you are an asshole, are justified.

And if you're worried about technicalities, I'm sure there is some law they could get you on if they wanted to.

phil · Post by **phil** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:02 pm

Bob wrote:What is it about the "No" in "Leave No Trace" that's unclear, Phil?
>SNIP<

:->

Here's the BLM education guide on Leave No Trace:

http://www.blm.gov/education/lnt/packing/cathole2.htm

It covers how to take a leak in the wilderness while leaving no trace: "It is best to urinate on rocks and in places that will not attract wildlife."

phil · Post by **phil** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:04 pm

MikeVDS wrote:It is obviously obnoxious at different levels.
>SNIP<

I said I'd follow your logic, Mike.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:23 am

If you are indeed pissing clear, following the mandate of reason, how much solid matter (urea etc.) is left after the liquid evaporates and which common household cleanser can be used to remove those stubborn yellow stains from desert floors?

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 3:37 pm

and which common household cleanser can be used to remove those stubborn yellow stains from desert floors?

Sandblasting. Its the only answer!

B.