California officials propose new water ballast discharge standards

California officials propose new water ballast discharge standards    The California State Lands Commission is taking public comments through June 6 on proposed regulation changes that would establish performance standards for the discharge of ballast water for vessels of more than 300 gross tons operating in California waters.
   The proposed regulations would set attainment goals for the levels of organisms in ballast water discharge that are far above current federal standards. To meet the new standards, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2009 under the proposed regulations, ship owners are required to treat water to meet the goal levels. Vessels will be held to the new standards based on their construction date and ballast size. The proposed rules also set a Jan. 1, 2020 date for ballast water discharged from all vessels to be 100 percent organism-free.
   The federal government implemented a mandatory national ballast water management and reporting program in September 2004 for vessels entering the United States. However, this mandatory program does not include performance standards for the discharge of ballast water.
   Experts agree that the transport of ballast water in marine vessels is a major mechanism by which aquatic nonindigenous invasive species (NIS) spread.
   No performance standards exist for ballast discharge of vessels that operate in California waters, despite research showing a significant threat that such discharges can spread NIS throughout the region.
   The performance standards for the discharge of ballast water prescribed by these proposed regulations, according to the CSLC, are necessary to minimize the transport of NIS into and throughout the waters of the State of California.