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MERC – DRAFT Test Plan
3
Table 1. Ranges of various physical and biological parameters in ambient water during the testing season
(March/April – October/November) in the Port of Baltimore in comparison to ETV/USCG and IMO G8
recommended challenge conditions. Port of Baltimore data collected by MERC and various academic
and agency studies or monitoring efforts in the general location of the
Cape Washington
(Patapsco River).
†
Generic Protocol for the Verification of Ballast Water Treatment Technologies: Draft v4 2008, US EPA
Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program under contract to US Coast Guard.
‡
IMO Guidelines for the Approval of Ballast Water Management Systems (G8), October 200, Annex 4
Resolution MEPC.174(58).
* TSS, POC and DOC (2004-2007) MD DNR Chesapeake Bay Water Quality database:
www.chesapeakebay.net/data_waterquality.aspx. Zooplankton (1998 – 2002) and phytoplankton (2004-
2007) Chesapeake Bay Program: www.chesapeakebay.net/data_plankton.aspx. Bacteria (1998 – present)
Cowell and Huq, University of Maryland; Louis et al. 2003, AEM 69:2773-2785.
MERC will evaluate the biological
efficacy of the MSI filtration + UV ballast water
treatment system onboard the MARAD vessel
M/V
Cape Washington
while docked in
Baltimore Harbor, Maryland (right). The ballast
system of the
Cape Washington
has been
modified to allow for water at a flow rate of
400m
3
/hr to be split equally, and delivered
simultaneously, to a “control” (untreated) ballast
tank and a “test” (passing first through the
treatment system) ballast tank, each at 200m
3
/hr.
The ship’s ballast tanks to be used for the
required holding time of five days are
essentially identical in size (~ 650 m
3
) and structure. Each tank will be filled to approximately
250 m
3
for test trials. A detailed drawing of the modified ship ballast system can be found on
page 14.
Care was taken in the design of the MERC
Cape Washington
test systems so that water
entering the control and test tanks is handled (e.g., passing through same pump and similar
piping) as close to identical as possible, aside from passing through the MSI treatment system for
treatment. Three test system performance runs have been conducted to assure that water in both
control and test tanks have near identical physical and biological conditions. While initial
physical and biological conditions are subject to natural variability, the MERC test system itself
Parameter
Proposed
ETV/USCG
†
Recommended
IMO G8
‡
Historic Ranges*
Port of Baltimore
Temperature (
o
C)
10 - 35
–
4 - 28
Salinity (psu)
5 - 25
3 - 32
5 - 15
Total Suspended Solids (mg/l)
17 - 24
> 50
1 - 60
Particulate Organic Carbon (mg/l)
1 - 2
> 5
0.5 – 6.0
Dissolved Organic Carbon (mg/l)
4 - 8
> 5
2 - 10
Zooplankton (> 50
µ
m) / m
3
> 10,000
> 100,000
10,000 - 150,000
Phytoplankton (10 - 50
µ
m) / ml
> 100
> 1,000
500 – 10,000
Heterotrophic Bacteria cfu / ml
> 1,000
> 10,000
10,000 - 10,000,000