Invasive carp are headed toward the Great Lakes, advancing up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers where they have already wreaked havoc. The Brandon Road project – a series of underwater deterrents and barriers at an existing lock in Illinois – is our best chance to stop them before they threaten the region’s $5.1 billion fishing and $16 billion recreational boating industries.
To date, the U.S. Congress has appropriated $274 million, and the States of Illinois and Michigan have provided $114 million and signed a project partnership agreement detailing their respective obligations to move the project forward. Initial contracts have been awarded for the first phase of construction. Work is underway.
On Tuesday, the project’s groundbreaking celebration was put on hold when Illinois put a temporary pause on transferring some land needed for the project. The state wants assurances from the Trump Administration that future federal funding will be available for the project so that it can be finished.
Any delay or halt of construction of this project threatens the economy and environment of the Great Lakes and opens the door to yet another invasive species to do irreversible damage to the Great Lakes and to the people who call it home.
This is yet another example of the ways federal funding is critical to the Great Lakes. While this project site is located in Illinois, it will benefit every Great Lakes state. Invasive carp don’t stop at state lines. We’re fortunate that the project, which has been guided by more than a decade of advocacy, enjoys broad support across the region and in Congress from members of both parties.
We will continue to watch this closely and will update you when there are new developments. And we’ll continue speaking out in support of the project, including in these stories this week:
WGN TV: Asian Carp barrier project on Des Plaines River delayed as federal funds hang in limbo
NBC 5 Chicago: State delays Joliet invasive carp project over ‘anticipated lack of funding’