Ballast Water and Invasive Species

A ruling out of New York is being hailed as a victory for the Great Lakes. Beginning September 30, ships will no longer be able to discharge ballast water into the Great Lakes without a permit from the EPA. The Clean Water Act did not regulate ballast discharges from tankers in prior years. Ballast discharges may have introduced more than 180 aquatic invasive species into the Great Lakes.

Read the Ballast Decision, here.