Brown and Caldwell conducted a study for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) that evaluated using an onshore system for treating the ballast water from ships that take part in international trade. The intent of ballast water treatment is to prevent invasive species from entering the Great Lakes via a ship’s discharge ballast water. There are currently no approved discharge standards for ballast water, so the study based treatment levels on the best applicable technology for removing all organisms, including viruses. The conceptual study worked to identify feasible alternatives for collecting, storing, and treating ballast water at the Port of Milwaukee and determined that the lowest cost alternative consisted of collecting and storing the ballast water on a barge and then treating it with fine screening and UV disinfection. The study also identified future actions, such as bench-scale and pilot testing, that must be completed prior to the implementation of an onshore ballast water treatment system.