Yesterday the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Board unanimously passed the most restrictive ballast water control regulation in the Great Lakes.

Ballast water is picked up in oceans around the world, to stabilize ships

The problem is this water carries aquatic invasive species.

Often this foreign aquatic life thrives in the Great Lakes and quickly over–takes native species.

"The regulation that they passed requires vessels to begin reporting ballast water discharges in Minnesota waters and over time will require the treatment of ballast water to prevent the spread of invasive species," said Jeff Stollenwerk, MPCA Supervisor for Water Quality Permits Section.

All ships must report their ballast water discharges to the U–S Coast Guard; but that data is often difficult to access.

This new permit requires them to report directly to Minnesota.

In addition to this, vessels must follow best management practices by avoiding the uptake of ballast water in known infested waters.

But there's a problem; Minnesota is the only state to enact such restrictions.

"By imposing these standards the reality is that the ships come in and this is a bi–state port and if Wisconsin doesn't have the same regulations they really are meaningless at this point," said Jim Sharrow, Facilities manager for the Port Authority.

"We've been coordinating with several of the Great Lakes including Wisconsin, Ohio, and New York. All the states are in different stages of developing ballast water regulations, but most are considering some action," Stollenwerk said.

However, all parties agree, a federal mandate on ballast water management would be ideal.

"We will continue to promote a federal solution. We believe that the U–S coast guard or EPA or congress could step up and set a discharge standard and an implementation schedule that could be successfully implemented throughout the Great Lakes," Stollenwerk said.

There was some controversy that Minnesota is jumping the gun with this new program because the Federal E.P.A. will enact a permit of its own in December.

However, that permit does not include ballast water management.

Vessels don't need to install ballast water treatment until 2016.

That's because the Great Lakes are unique in that most shipping comes from or goes to salt water destinations... so before these ballast water treatment systems can be installed, they need to be tested in fresh water.