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The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (USCG RDC) tasked the Great Ships Initiative (GSI) with implementing the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program s Draft Generic Protocol for the Verification of Ballast Water Treatment Technology in Shipboard Installations, version 5.2, (ETV DSP) on board an operating commercial vessel to identify areas of possible improvement. ETV DSP implementation included use of a prototype Shipboard Filter Skid (p3SFS), which the ETV DSP incorporates as an optional sampling approach. A secondary objective of Project 41012 was to evaluate, on a limited basis, the biological efficacy and environmental soundness of a prototype ballast water management system (BWMS). Four test cycles took place on board a Great Lakes self-unloading bulk freighter, the Motor Vessel Indiana Harbor, with the prototype BWMS active during two of them. Overall GSI found both the ETV DSP and p3SFS to be feasible and promising approaches to shipboard validation of prospective BWMSs, and identified specific ways to improve them. The prototype BWMS operated during these tests reduced the densities of live plankton in the Indiana Harbor s ballast tanks, but the treated discharges did not meet International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards in these tests., The original document contains color images. Prepared in collaboration with the Great Ships Initiative, Northeast-Midwest Institute, Washington, DC. Sponsored in part by DHS.

onindigenous species (NIS) cause global biotic homogenization and extinctions, with commercial shipping being a leading vector for spread of aquatic NIS. To reduce transport of NIS by ships, regulations requiring ballast water exchange (BWE) have been implemented by numerous countries. BWE appears to effectively reduce risk for freshwater ports, but provides only moderate protection of marine ports. In the near future, ships may be required to undertake ballast water treatment (BWT) to meet numeric performance standards, and BWE may be phased out of use. However, there are concerns that BWT systems may not operate reliably in fresh or turbid water, or both. Consequently, it has been proposed that BWE could be used in combination with BWT to maximize the positive benefits of both management strategies for protection of freshwater ports. We compared the biological efficacy of "BWE plus BWT" against "BWT alone" at a ballast water treatment experimental test facility. Our comparative evaluation showed that even though BWT alone significantly reduced abundances of all tested organism groups except total heterotrophic bacteria, the BWE plus BWT strategy significantly reduced abundances for all groups and furthermore resulted in significantly lower abundances of most groups when compared to BWT alone. Our study clearly demonstrates potential benefits of combining BWE with BWT to reduce invasion risk of freshwater organisms transported in ships' ballast water, and it should be of interest to policy makers and environmental managers.

This study estimates the economic benefits of remediation in the Buffalo River, NY Area of Concern (AOC) using two distinct empirical methods. One method analyzes the effects of proximity to the AOC on prices in the residential property market. The second uses a choice survey of recent home purchasers concerning the characteristics of homes and the river. After controlling for numerous structural, community, and spatial effects, the market analysis shows that single-family residential property prices south of the river are depressed due to their proximity to the AOC by $118 million (5.4% of total market value). The impacts are greater for properties closer to the AOC. Prices to the north of the AOC do not appear to be affected. Recovery of $118 million in property value losses could produce approximately $4.7 million/year in new property tax revenues. Considering only the area for which the market study shows price discounts, the survey-based estimates reveal a willingness to pay (WTP) for full cleanup of the AOC of approximately $250 million (14% of median-based market value). The reasons for discrepancies between the results of the two methods is a matter for further research.

This study estimates the economic benefits of remediation in the Sheboygan River, WI Area of Concern (AOC) using two distinct empirical methods. The methodology parallels that described by Braden et al. (2008). The results are mixed. Using hedonic analysis of property sales, for owner-occupied homes within a 5-mile radius of the Sheboygan River AOC, the overall estimated loss of value is $158 million (8% of market value). Of this total, only $49 million in losses for homes closest to the upper river segment has strong statistical support. The impacts are greatest proportionally for properties closest to the AOC. A survey-based method yields a mean estimate of $218 million (10% of property value) in willingness to pay for full cleanup of the AOC. If remediation were to induce recovery of property values, then the local communities could benefit through increased property tax revenues.