Policy and Legal Framework and the Current Status of Ballast Water Management Requirements - Global Maritime Transport and Ballast Water Management: Issues and Solutions - page 72

Table 6 Revoked Pennsylvania's numeric ballast water standards

Performance standards
interim Organism size class Final standards

Organisms ≥ 50 ʼ m in
minimum dimension

<10 viable organisms per m 3 Zero detectable living

organisms

Organisms ≥ 10-<50 ʼ m in <10 viable organisms per ml <0.01 living organisms per ml

minimum dimension

Living Organisms <10 ʼ m in (viruses not addressed) <10 4 viruses/100 ml

minimum dimension:

Escherichia coli <250 CFU/100 ml <10 3 bacteria/100 ml other

than

Intestinal enterococci <100 CFU/100 ml <126 CFU/100 ml

Toxicogenic Vibrio cholerae <1 CFU/100 ml <33 CFU/100 ml

(O1 & O139) <1 CFU/100 ml

subsequently revoked. This table was also kept for comparison reasons. The
numeric standards set by the following states are identical with the standards in
IMO Regulation D-2: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio (Albert
et al. 2013 ). Different numeric ballast water standards of U.S. states are shown in
Tables 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 .
We further like to highlight, as an example, the complex ballast water rules of
Ohio (VGP 2013 ). In the chapter Specifi c Conditions it is stated that “vessels that
operate outside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and more than 200 NM
from shore, and then enter the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence Seaway System
must conduct salt water fl ushing of ballast tanks. This condition applies both before
and after treatment system deadlines in the VGP; Vessels are prohibited from dis-
charging ballast water sediment” (VGA, part 6.21.4). We understand that this means
these vessels need to conduct an exchange of their ballast water with ocean water,
which also applies to certain vessels for which ballast water treatment is required so
that in this case a double management measure is required (operation of a treatment
system plus water exchange). As a consequence of these measures these vessels
have marine ballast water on board. In the following part 6.21.5 of this document
the following is stated: “It is likely that discharges of ballasted sea water will not
meet the toxicity narrative water quality standard if discharged in the relatively shal-
low water of Ohio's Lake Erie ports, due to the dissolved solids levels in sea water.
Discharges in the open waters of the Lake minimize the risk of toxicity, and will
allow the standard to be met. In order to prevent toxicity to ambient organisms or
rapidly lethal conditions, discharges of ballasted sea water within the breakwalls of
Ohio's Lake Erie Ports is prohibited.” Does this mean that a ballast water treatment
is required for some vessels which is followed by a marine ballast water exchange
more than 200 NM from shore, but at the same time these vessels cannot discharge
the exchanged oceanic ballast water in Ohio's waters because discharges of marine
water are prohibited here? If this is the case what would a vessel operator do?
Possibly conduct another ballast water exchange after having entered the Great
Lakes, but before arriving in Ohio's waters.