Ballast Water Discharge General Permit

Basics

commercial ship
Oceangoing ships like this one docked in Superior must meet treatment standards for their ballast water discharges starting 2012 for new ships and 2014 for existing ships.
Photo credit: Frank Koshere

Effective February 1, 2010, the DNR started regulating large oceangoing ships to prevent them from accidentally introducing harmful new invasive species to Wisconsin's Great Lakes waters, and in turn, our inland lakes and rivers. The DNR permit supplements the current federal general permit that scientists have concluded does not provide significant protection to the Great Lakes.

The DNR permit requires oceangoing ships to meet numerical standards for live organisms left in ballast water after it has been treated and requires ballast water exchange or flushing in the open water. Exchanging ballast water at sea can reduce by up to 95 percent the number of invasive species that have the greatest chance of surviving and causing trouble in freshwater bodies, according to Canadian researchers.

The ballast water these large oceangoing commercial ships carry to steady themselves is the main source of new invaders to the Great Lakes, although the pace is slowing as ships exchange or flush their ballast water in the open water under current U.S. Coast Guard rules. Zebra mussels, sea lampreys, and round gobies are among invaders brought in ballast water, and they have disrupted the food chain, harmed fisheries, fouled beaches, clogged water and utility infrastructure, and cost citizens, governments and businesses billions. "Lakers," the large commercial vessels that travel between Great Lakes ports, play a role in spreading aquatic invasive species from one Great Lake to another. They are covered by the general permit as well but not subject to ballast water treatment standards.

Wisconsin joins Great Lakes states New York, Michigan and Minnesota in regulating ballast water discharges. Importantly, all ships entering the Great Lakes must pass through New York waters, where they must meet the most stringent standards, and at the earliest date.

Ballast Water by the Numbers

  • 180+ invasive aquatic species introduced to the Great Lakes since the 1800s.[1]
  • 55 to 70 percent of the invaders since 1959 arrived in ballast water.[1]
  • 1 new non-native species enters the Great Lakes on average every 28 weeks.
  • The Milwaukee and Superior ports are among the Great Lakes ports facing the greatest risk of introduction of new species.[3]
  • $1-5 billion spent annually due to zebra mussels.[2]
  • Zebra mussels are now in 120 inland lakes in Wisconsin.[3]
  • $9 billion spent annually for associated damages and costs of controlling aquatic invaders in the United States.[4]

More Information

Ballast water by the numbers references:

  1. Great Lakes Shipping, Trade, and Aquatic Invasive Species [PDF exit DNR]
  2. Predicting Future Introductions of Nonindigenous Species to the Great Lakes [exit DNR] - November 2008 report of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  3. Aquatic Invasive Species: Zebra Mussels
  4. Proceedings of the Aquatic Invaders of the Delaware Estuary Symposium, Malvern, Pennsylvania, May 20, 2003, pp. 3-5. [exit DNR]

The Permit

Wisconsin's general permit for ballast water discharges becomes effective February 1, 2010, and affects oceangoing ships, also known as "salties," and lakers, the big ships that travel between Great Lakes ports.

General permits are designed to cover discharges from a category of activities that are similar in character. Ballast water dischargers will receive from DNR the same permit spelling out the same conditions and requirements for them to meet, instead of each discharger having an individually tailored permit from the DNR.

Permit and more about eligibility, application process

New General Permit

Under the DNR's new general permit:

  • Effective February 1, 2010, large commercial vessels are prohibited from discharging ballast tank sediment, seawater, and certain other substances. They must adopt best management practices for handling these substances to reduce the risk of releasing new invaders into the Great Lakes. Oceangoing ships and "lakers," the big vessels that travel between Great Lakes ports and can spread invasives among the lakes, both must meet these requirements.
  • Oceangoing vessels must exchange ballast water or flush their tanks in the open water.
  • Effective January. 1, 2012, any oceangoing vessel built on or after that date must treat their ballast water to reduce the number of live plants, animals and organisms in it to meet specific numerical standards that are the same standards proposed by the International Maritime Organization.
  • Effective January. 1, 2014, existing oceangoing ships must meet these same standards for the number of organisms remaining in the ballast water they've treated before discharging.
  • Lakers will not be required to treat their ballast water to meet standards under the current general permit, which will be valid for five years. The vast majority of ships arriving in Lake Superior's Duluth/Superior harbors are lakers.

Photos

commercial ship commercial ship
Photo credit: Susan Sylvester & Jim Hansen
Ballast water discharges will be regulated by Wisconsin effective February 1, 2010, to curb the introduction of new invasive species to the Great Lakes and their spread to inland lakes. "Lakers," like the one shown at left, which travel between Great Lakes ports, and "salties," oceangoing boats, are both subject to requirements spelled out in a general permit.

Great Lakes map
Map credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
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.

Zebra mussels
Zebra mussels, brought to the Great Lakes via ballast water discharges, cost the U.S. an estimated $1-5 billion annually in damages and control costs.

Contacts

DNR Contacts

Ballast Water
Aquatic Invasive Species
  • Jeff Bode, Lakes and Wetlands section chief (608) 266-0502

Other Wisconsin Contacts

More Resources

Other Institutions Regulating Ballast Water

Reports and Research

Related News

Boating season opens in the wake of good news about aquatic invasive species
Issued by DNR Central Office on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 2:17:33 PM

More than 100 local groups get grants to tackle aquatic invasive species and runoff
Issued by DNR Central Office on Friday, April 05, 2013 at 12:00:58 PM

Monitoring confirms that boaters, not ducks, moving aquatic invasive species around
Issued by DNR Central Office on Tuesday, March 05, 2013 at 11:30:10 AM

Environmental officials find good compliance with first year of ballast water regulations
Issued by DNR Central Office on Tuesday, December 18, 2012 at 12:15:17 PM

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Issued by DNR Central Office on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at 2:16:19 PM

Fourth annual Landing Blitz for aquatic invasive species doubles coverage
Issued by DNR Central Office on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 1:44:04 PM

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Issued by DNR Central Office on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at 12:02:38 PM

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Last Revised: Saturday, December 30, 1899