LAND-BASED EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE OPTIMARIN BALLAST SYSTEM IN THE GREAT LAKES

Abstract

This technical report presents the land-based evaluation of the Optimarin Ballast System, Model 334/340FX2. This work was conducted to evaluate the potential of the system to be used as a flow-through water treatment method for the Laurentian Great Lakes, treating via filtration and UV exposure on uptake and UV exposure again on discharge. The evaluation began September 2021 and ended October 2021. All analyses were conducted at either the Montreal Pier Facility or the Lake Superior Research Institute (LSRI) at the University of Wisconsin-Superior (UWS), both located in Superior, Wisconsin, USA. Biological effectiveness was examined during a commissioning trial and five efficacy trials with overnight retention of harbor water at the Montreal Pier Facility that was amended to achieve ETV Protocol challenge conditions. Effectiveness was assessed in terms of remaining live organisms in three size classes per unit volume: organisms ≥50 µm in minimum dimension (nominally zooplankton), organism entities ≥10 µm in any dimension and with cell sizes 95% compared to control discharge samples