Ballast Water Discharge General Permit

Your one-stop shop for news and information regarding the Ballast Water Discharge General Permit from the Department of Natural Resources.

Basics

To curb the introduction of new invasive species, commercial ships that discharge ballast water in Wisconsin waters of the Great Lakes would be regulated by the state.
Photo credit: Susan Sylvester

More than 180 nonnative fish, plants, insects and organisms have entered the Great Lakes since the early 1800s, disrupting the food chain, fouling beaches, clogging infrastructure and costing citizens, industry and businesses more than $200 million a year. Ocean-going ships' ballast water has accounted for 55-70 percent of reported aquatic species introductions since 1959. See Great Lakes Shipping, Trade, and Aquatic Invasive Species [PDF exit DNR]. The species' subsequent spread may in part be attributed to vessels that move only among Great Lakes ports and are known as "lakers" and can carry up to 10 times the volume of ballast water.

More than 180 invasive aquatic species have been introduced to the Great Lakes since the 1800s, most via ballast water from ocean-going ships entering the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway. New York has passed stringent new standards for treatment of ballast water effective 2012; Wisconsin is proposing adopting the same standard and timetable for oceangoing ships only, which comprise about 5 percent of the shipping traffic to Wisconsin ports.
Photo credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

To help prevent the introduction and spread of more aquatic invasive species, Wisconsin is proposing requiring that commercial ocean-going ships, i.e. "salties" and "lakers" be required to take steps to reduce aquatic invasive species contained in the ballast water they release into Wisconsin waters under a draft permit. The draft is now available for public comment through March 30.

"This state permit will help protect our waterways from aquatic invasive species while maintaining a robust shipping industry in Wisconsin," DNR Secretary Matt Frank said. "We believe this permit provides strong protections without damaging the shipping industry. We will continue to see strong national legislation as the best solution to address this problem."

Looking into a ballast water tank. The ballast water that ships take in and discharge to balance themselves as cargo is loaded and unloaded is the number one source of new aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes.
Photo credit: Susan Sylvester

"Lakers" would not have to meet a ballast discharge standard in the proposed permit. They would, upon receiving a permit, take steps to prevent spreading aquatic invasive species, among them following a sediment management plan.

Beginning in 2012, assuming commercially viable technology is available, existing ocean-going ships or "salties" that discharge ballast water in Wisconsin waters would have to meet a numerical standard for their discharges. Wisconsin's proposed standard is the same as New York's and is the same as proposed in Congressional legislation and consistent with the standard the U.S. backed at an international convention in 2004. If commercially viable technology is not available within the timeframe, ocean-going vessels would only have to meet the international standard.

Permit Proposal

A public hearing on the proposed draft ballast water permit was held March 23 in Milwaukee. The DNR is now reviewing public comments on the proposed draft ballast water permit and will be finalizing the permit in coming months.

Contacts

Ballast Water

Susan Sylvester, DNR Permits Section Chief, (608) 266-1099
Paul Luebke, Permit Drafter, (608) 266-0234

Aquatic invasive species

Jeff Bode, Lakes and Wetlands section chief (608) 266-0502

More Resources

Predicting Future Introductions of Nonindigenous Species to the Great Lakes [exit DNR]
November 2008 report of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

"Great Lakes Shipping, Trade and Aquatic Invasive Species [exit DNR]"
Summary of a National Academy of Sciences' Report on the Ballast Water Problem

"Great Lakes Shipping, Trade and Aquatic Invasive Species [exit DNR]:"
Commissioned Papers Transportation Research Board Special Report 291 Links to eight commissioned papers used by the National Academies of Science for the report.

Aquatic Invasive Species
Link to DNR factsheets and other information on aquatic invasive species

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Last Revised: Saturday, November 07, 2009