Department of Environmental Quality
Chapter 340
Division 143
BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT
340-143-0050
Ballast Water Management: Shipboard Ballast Water Treatment Systems
(1) Use of shipboard ballast water treatment systems. Ballast water treated using technology approved for shipboard use by the U.S. Coast Guard and in compliance with federal discharge standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may be discharged to waters of the state but may also be subject to additional management practice requirements established under section (2) of this rule.
(2) Ballast exchange plus treatment. For vessels managing ballast water with a shipboard treatment system under federal discharge standards, the vessel operator must also conduct ballast water exchange for tanks with ballast water salinity less than or equal to 18 parts per thousand, or under circumstances when vessel operator is unable to verify ballast salinity. This requirement applies to ballast discharge to waters of the Columbia River, Coos Bay, or Yaquina Bay. Under these circumstances, vessel operators must conduct ballast exchange or saltwater flushing practices prior to treatment, as OAR 340-143-0010(2)(b), and 340-143-0010(3) specify, respectively, resulting in salinity greater than or equal to 30 parts per thousand. The ballast water exchange requirement under this section does not apply if:
(a) The vessel is equipped with a ballast water treatment system approved for shipboard use by the U.S. Coast Guard and meets a ballast discharge standard more stringent than the International Maritime Organization D-2 standards established under the 2004 Ballast Water Management Convention, provided that discharged ballast contains:
(A) Less than 1 living organism per 10 cubic meters that is 50 or more micrometers in minimum dimension;
(B) Less than 1 living organism per 10 milliliters that is less than 50 micrometers in minimum dimension and more than 10 micrometers in minimum dimension; and
(C) Concentrations of indicator microbes that are less than:
(i) One colony-forming unit of toxicogenic Vibrio cholera (serotypes O1 and O139) per 100 milliliters or less than one colony-forming unit of that microbe per gram of wet weight of zoological samples;
(ii) 126 colony-forming units of Escherichia coli per 100 milliliters; and
(iii) 33 colony-forming units of intestinal enterococci per 100 milliliters.
(b) The ballast water discharge qualifies for an exemption set forth in OAR 340-143-0010(2)(a), 340-143-0010(2)(c), 340-143-0010(2)(d), or 340-143-0010(2)(e), or
(c) DEQ authorizes a vessel’s voyage an exemption from the exchange requirements portion of this rule per exemption request procedures established under OAR 143-0040 for circumstances where:
(A) Design specifications indicate that exchange is incompatible with treatment system or vessel piping configurations, or
(B) Conducting exchange prior to treatment represents a threat to the environment, crew, or vessel.
(3) As an alternative to discharging high-risk ballast water identified in 340-143-0040, DEQ may authorize, by order in writing, using ballast water treatment systems identified as promising technology by the U.S. EPA, U.S. Coast Guard or neighboring states.
(4) Section (2) of this rule is no longer in effect after December 19, 2027. Before this date, DEQ, in consultation with a stakeholder advisory group, will review current science on the efficacy of federal ballast water discharge standards and shipboard treatment systems, or the potential need for continuation of this rule to prevent introductions of aquatic invasive species to Oregon waters.
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 468.020 & 783.620 - 783.640
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 783.620 - 783.640
History:
DEQ 20-2023, amend filed 11/20/2023, effective 12/01/2023
DEQ 4-2017, f. 1-19-17, cert. ef. 3-1-17
DEQ 4-2011, f. & cert. ef. 3-17-11