(The Center Square) – A lock and dam project in Illinois to help prevent invasive Asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan is moving forward.
With full funding and approvals secured and reinforced by the White House, the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project near Joliet has been given the green light now that Illinois has acquired 50 acres of land for the project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has identified building additional structural measures at the site as the most feasible way to prevent the upstream migration of invasive carp.
“I have made clear that, in the interest of saving the Illinois taxpayer potentially hundreds of millions in liabilities, we would only move forward if given the proper assurances that the federal government would hold up their end of the bargain,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement.
The property, which provides riverbed access for the Corps, was donated to the state by Midwest Generation LLC, which operates power generating facilities in Joliet, Pekin, Romeoville and Waukegan.
Officials warn that invasive carp, which have already devastated waterways in the Mississippi River basin, pose a threat to the habitat and economic health of the Great Lakes.
“They are incredibly invasive is the number one thing,” said Marc Smith, Great Lakes policy director for the National Wildlife Federation. “They come into the water body when they are introduced and essentially take over the water.”
The carp were used in the southern parts of the country decades ago to reduce nuisance vegetation, but the species began to reproduce and spread into the Mississippi River.
State officials have rebranded Asian carp as Copi in an effort to get them on the dinner plate. There is also a yearly event called the Redneck Carp Fishing Tournament on the Illinois River. Organizers said the total haul every year is in the thousands. Afterward, the fish are shipped away to be processed and used commercially or in agriculture.
“We’re definitely supportive of that and Illinois has done a very good job at putting out resources for companies to come in and harvest and put them on the menu,” said Smith.
