WASHINGTON, D.C. — A long-awaited plan from federal officials released last week calls for initial spending of $275 million for elaborate sound barriers and structural upgrades as the key way to stop Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes.

 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, after nearly two years of study and a delay of more than eight months, released  a draft report of its recommendation of the most economic and effective way to try and ensure the invasive fish species never reaches Lake Michigan.

Lake Michigan is the closest entry point for the fish, which was imported from Asia in the 1970s to help keep fish ponds in the South free of algae, but the carp escaped to other rivers after significant flooding events. They have spread since.

The fish are voracious eaters of plankton and crowd out other natural freshwater species; the Illinois River, a key tributary and waterway connected to the Mississippi River, has been overrun with Asian carp for about 15 years.

Trying to keep them from migrating farther north has been a challenge. A system of electronic gates and other measures along the system of canals that feed into the Chicago River and Lake Michigan have worked so far, but there have been two examples of carp getting past the gateways and closer to the lake.

The most recent, an 8-pound Silver carp, was found about nine miles from Lake Michigan in June.

If the fish invade the Great Lakes, experts say they’ll eventually decimate a nearly $8 billion fishing industry alone.

The 488-page Corps report, which is open for public comment for about the next month, is available at http://glmris. anl.gov/brandon-rd The measures suggest upgrading the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet along the Des Plaines River, about 30 miles south of Lake Michigan, and installing sound systems to create “complex noise” underwater that would deter the fish, as well as a new electronic barrier that would repel and stun the fish.

The Corps, in its report, said the measures are the most reasonable defenses “while minimizing impacts to waterway uses and users,” meaning shipping along  the canal system would be least impacted of other options, including a complete shutdown of the system leading to Lake Michigan.

The plan already has been called unnecessary by some officials in Illinois, which is financially struggling with more than $14.5 billion in current unpaid bills.

“No one has a bigger stake in the fight to keep Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species out of the Great Lakes than the state of Illinois,” said Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti. “In partnership with local, state and federal Great Lakes stakeholders, Illinois has successfully coordinated strategies to keep the leading edge of Asian carp migration the same place it has been since 1991, near Dresden Island, south of Joliet.

"Science tells us our comprehensive strategy is working. This new approach is neither cost-effective nor environmentally sound.”

The Corps’ proposal cost would require Illinois to cover $95 million of the total

$275 million price tag, along with annual operating costs of about $8 million. Other lawmakers say now is the time to act. “Asian carp have the potential

to decimate the waters we all love and depend upon, as well as our region’s $7

billion fishing and $16 billion boating industries,” said U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell,

from Dearborn, Mich. “We cannot afford to wait to combat

this threat. This long-overdue study is critical to getting a full understanding

of our options to stop this destructive force.”