Author: Lucknow Sentinel

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites nominations from a diverse range of qualified candidates who desire to serve as members of the EPA’s Great Lakes Advisory Board (GLAB). The GLAB is chartered to provide advice and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on matters related to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and on implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the U.S. and Canada. For appointment consideration, nominations should be submitted by July 30, 2024. 

Any interested person or organization may nominate qualified persons to be considered for appointment to the GLAB. Individuals may self-nominate. For appointment consideration, interested nominees should email the application materials electronically to davicino.alana@epa.gov with the subject ‘‘GLAB Nominations 2024’’. 

Nominations Details

Noninations should include:

• Current contact information for the nominee, including the nominee’s name, organization (and position within that organization), current business address, email address and daytime phone number.
• A brief statement describing the nominee’s interest in serving on the GLAB.
• A resume and a short biography (no more than two paragraphs) describing the professional and educational qualifications of the nominee, including a list of relevant activities and any current or previous service on Federal advisory committees; and
• A description of the nominee’s EPA grant funding history including current EPA grant activities if applicable. If this does not apply to the nominee, please provide a brief statement indicating so.
• Optional: Letter(s) of recommendation from a third party supporting the nomination. Letter(s) should describe how the nominee’s experience and knowledge will bring value to the work of the GLAB.

Contact Information

Alana Davicino, Designated Federal Officer, Great Lakes National Program Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 77 West Jackson Boulevard, (G–9J), Chicago, Illinois
Phone: 312–886–2307
email: davicino.alana@epa.gov

Background

Read the Federal Register Notice requesting nominations.

Thanks to GLRI funding, the University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Great Waters Research Collaborative (GWRC) has been working with shipping companies to collect data on board Laker vessels. Laker vessels are commercial vessels that operate exclusively on the Great Lakes. Laker vessels are not major contributors of novel invaders into the Great Lakes. They can accelerate the secondary spread of introduced aquatic nuisance species via discharge of ballast water. In many cases, environmental risk associated with the ballast water vector can be substantially reduced through installation and operation of a ballast water management system.

GWRC worked with six Great Lakes vessels to install and assess operational performance and biological efficacy of ballast water management systems. The vessels also collect ultraviolet transmittance data in the ports they visit throughout the shipping season. Ultraviolet transmittance is a measurement of water clarity, i.e., how easily UV light travels through the water, and varies from port to port. Some vessels use ultraviolet (UV) treatments as part of their ballast water management systems. For UV light to neutralize organisms, it must be able to reach them. The spatial and temporal data will inform system developers about the challenges unique to the Great Lakes. 

During the 2024 season, GWRC will be adding a vessel utilizing screen filtering technology to the sampling schedule. This will allow researchers to examine the reduction in organisms provided by a filter alone. Initial data analysis has shown that operational performance of the UV systems tested relates closely to the clarity of the water taken on. Both UV and chlorination treatment systems are highly effective at treating organisms in the smaller size classes but are less effective at treating larger organisms although they typically reduce the larger organisms by several orders of magnitude.