August 6, 2019

Congressman Stauber’s Director of Grants and Projects visits LSRI’s new ballast water testing facility

L to R: Kelsey Prihoda, LSRI Researcher; Jordan Milan, UWS Director of Strategic Communications and Special Assistant to the Chancellor; Matt TenEyck, LSRI Director; Renee Wachter, UWS Chancellor; John Eloranta, Cong. Stauber's Director of Grants and Projects

U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber’s, R-Duluth, Director of Grants and Projects, John Eloranta, recently visited Lake Superior Research Institute’s new ballast water testing facility at Montreal Pier in Superior.

The new facility is the only land-based laboratory of its type on the Great Lakes. Its large-scale testing equipment enables LSRI scientists to assess the effectiveness of prototype technologies designed to prevent the spread of invasive species through ships’ ballast water. Treatments that show promise in the testing facility are then taken into the harbor to see how they perform in Great Lakes water conditions.

The facility is garnering widespread attention from lawmakers and the public as an important tool in protecting Lake Superior from aquatic nuisance species.

“It was exciting to have John visit the ballast Great Waters Research Collaborative ballast water treatment system testing facility,” said Matt TenEyck, LSRI director. “He clearly saw the benefits of the research being conducted, and the positive impact LSRI has in involving hundreds of students, interacting with local, state, tribal and federal governments, and the economic impact LSRI has on the region.”

LSRI has been conducting the ballast water testing with the Maritime Administration through an organization called the Great Lakes Water Collaborative. TenEyck said the tests are part of joint efforts with the Maritime Administration to address environmental issues in the Great Lakes.

The Lake Superior Research Institute (LSRI) is one of four research institutes at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, conducting environmental research, education and outreach for the Great Lakes region and beyond. LSRI provides non-traditional learning and applied research opportunities for undergraduate students, and fosters environmental education and outreach in the Twin Ports and surrounding communities.