Chicago, IL (December 4, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, announced they had awarded the first construction contract for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project on November 27. The Brandon Road project is a partnership between USACE and the States of Illinois and Michigan that is designed to prevent invasive carp from getting into the Great Lakes. The barrier is a major priority for the Alliance for the Great Lakes, which hailed the construction announcement:
“By moving ahead with construction in a timely manner, the Army Corp of Engineers and the states of Illinois and Michigan clearly recognize the threat invasive carp pose to the Great Lakes,” said Molly Flanagan, Alliance for the Great Lakes Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Programs. “The Alliance appreciates their continued dedication to stopping invasive carp from wreaking havoc on the Great Lakes.”
Using the Illinois River and other waterways to expand their territory, invasive carp pose a significant threat to the ecological and economic health of Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes. Invasive carp have already wreaked havoc on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. They cause serious damage to native fish populations because they out-compete other fish for food. Silver carp jump into the air when startled, posing the risk of serious injury to people and making infested waters off-limits to boating. Great Lakes communities and industries would be deeply harmed if invasive carp get into the Great Lakes and their tributaries and inland lakes. The Brandon Road Lock and Dam was identified as the crucial pinch point where layered technologies could be used to stop invasive carp populations from moving into the Great Lakes.
The Alliance for the Great Lakes has helped conceptualize the project and pushed at the state and federal levels to secure funding, complete engineering work, and keep the project moving forward. Advocates at the Alliance have been pushing for the project since the early 2000s.
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Contact: Don Carr, Media Director, Alliance for the Great Lakes, dcarr@greatlakes.org