The State of Michigan wants to take action to protect the Great Lakes from aquatic invasive species.

If actions are not taken to stop the introductions of aquatic invasive species, additional species will be transported into the Great Lakes (and from the Great Lakes to other parts of the world) through ballast water in ocean-going ships. Major impacts such as elimination of native species and increased damage to infrastructure may occur with each new species introduced.

All ocean-going vessels must have a permit from the Department to conduct port operations. Please refer to the Department’s Ballast Water Control web site. 

The general permit requires some reporting and notification to the Department 24 hours prior to a port operation. The Port Operations Notification Report form can only be accessed through the MiEnviro Portal.

No, only ocean-going ships discharging ballast water in Michigan need to have treatment on board.

There is a $75 application fee for the certificate of coverage under the general permit and a $150 annual permit fee. The certificate of coverage under the general permit is effective for 5 years.

The Department has approved four treatments for the general permit, including sodium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, ultraviolet light, and de-oxygenation.

Yes, oceangoing vessel owners proposing an alternative ballast water treatment method may apply for an individual permit. Individual permit applicants must demonstrate to the Department the alternate treatment method is environmentally sound and its treatment effectiveness is equal to or better than the treatment methods included in the general permit.

The penalties are the same as for violation of any state surface water discharge permit, up to $25,000 per day.

Ballast water is carried in tanks on ships for stability when lightly loaded or unloaded. Ballast water is pumped into the tanks when an empty ship starts a journey and pumped out when it takes on cargo at its destination.

Ships can take on ballast water in areas with water pollution or in areas where fish and plants are numerous. The water is not filtered or treated. When a ship discharges the ballast water, any pollutants, fish, or plants that survived the trip are released into the new location. If the new location is favorable, the organisms, including bacteria, fish, plants, or viruses can grow very large populations because their natural predators and diseases are absent.  Aquatic invasive species cause major changes in ecosystems and cost Michigan residents millions of dollars per year to control.

Zebra mussels (well-known threat to infrastructure by clogging intake pipes and beaches), Round goby (fish that competes with desirable native species), Spiny water flea (inedible zooplankton that disrupts the bottom of the food web), Ruffe (fish that competes with desirable native species) and others.

The following efforts are currently underway:

• The National Invasive Species Act requires ships entering the Great Lakes from the St. Lawrence Seaway to have exchanged their ballast water with salt water in the ocean. This reduces the number and survivability of organisms in the tanks. Some ships come in fully loaded with no ballast on board, so they do not have to do the ballast exchange. However, some unpumpable material still remains in the tanks that can contain organisms.
• The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation and the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation have incorporated ballast water management practices into the Practices and Procedures for the St. Lawrence Seaway.  These practices include recommendations such as not ballasting in areas of known pollution, etc.

More information can be found at:

• Michigan.gov/Invasives
• Invasive Species | Michigan Sea Grant
• Great Lakes Commission - Aquatic Invasive Species
• Michigan Legislature - 451-1994-II-1-33