GLIN==> Lake Erie is at risk of aquatic invasion

[Kristy Meyer <kristy@theoec.org>]

Lake Erie is at risk of aquatic invasion

EPA warns of threat from invasive species in ships' ballast water

By Bob Downing

Beacon Journal staff writer

Published on Friday, Jan 30, 2009

Akron Beacon Journal

 

All of Lake Erie and parts of the other Great Lakes are increasingly vulnerable to future invasion by aquatic species, according to a new report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

 

Three Ohio ports — Toledo, Sandusky and Ashtabula — are most at risk for discharges from seagoing ships that could carry invasive species of fish, plants and microinvertebrates in the vessels' ballast water. Other ports are Chicago; Gary, Ind.; Duluth, Minn.; Milwaukee; and Superior, Wis.

 

Tighter federal legislation is needed to control ballast water discharges to the Great Lakes from the seagoing ships, the Ohio Environmental Council said Thursday in a teleconference looking at the EPA report, Predicting Future Introductions of Nonindigenous Species to the Great Lakes.

 

''This is an urgent wake-up call that we need strong fed

eral legislation to plug the drain on any new introductions of exotic, invasive pests in Lake Erie,'' said spokeswoman Kristy Meyer of the statewide eco-group.

 

The report looked at 58 potential invasive species. Computer modeling indicates that 14 of those species could easily establish a strong foothold in Lake Erie and shallow water areas of the other Great Lakes.

 

The EPA report said that 107 foreign ships in 2006-2007 discharged 382 metric tons of ballast water to the Great Lakes.

 

Ballast water is used to stabilize the weight of cargo ships. When cargo is unloaded, the substantial weight loss is balanced by bringing an equal weight of water aboard the ship in storage tanks. When the ship reaches a new port, the water from the previous port — along with any organisms in the water — is pumped out while new cargo is loaded.

 

The Great Lakes will likely warm due to global warming and that would make the Great Lakes even more vulnerable to invasive species from the Black and Caspian seas in Russia that hitchhike rides in foreign freighters, the report said.

 

To date, 185 known species of invasives have been found in the Great Lakes with a new invasive species being found every 28 weeks.

 

Invasive species including the zebra and quagga mussels cost the Great Lakes region about $5 billion a year, according to federal estimates.

 

The threat at Toledo is especially severe because of the large volume of ballast water discharges, and the welcoming Lake Erie habitat that invasive species would find, Meyer said.

 

Environmentalists are disheartened by Ohio's tighter rules and feel that even-stricter federal rules are needed to curtail the threat, she said.

 

The Ohio rules, implemented last month, require ships to either exchange their coastal ballast water with open ocean water or to flush their ballast holds with saltwater.

 

The fear is that many species can survive in freshwater and saltwater, and stricter rules requiring chemical treatment, chlorine, ozone treatment, filters or heat are needed to assure better protection, Meyer said.

 

The federal report is available at http://www.theoec.org. Click on Newsroom and Latest Press Releases.

Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.

-- 
Kristy Meyer, M.S.
Director of Agricultural & Clean Water Programs 
The Ohio Environmental Council
1207 Grandview Ave., Ste. 201
Columbus, OH 43212
P. (614) 487-7506
F. (614) 487-7510
E. kristy@theOEC.org

Join the OEC! www.theOEC.org