WASHINGTON D.C. (WTAQ) – There’s a new push in both houses for more aggressive action to keep the invasive Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.
A bill was introduced in Congress Thursday in which the Army Corps of Engineers would come up with new devices and technology to be installed quickly at a lock and dam near Chicago.
The bill also puts the onus on the Corps to come up with a permanent strategy to keep the bloated carp out of the Great Lakes where it can eat up native fish and plants.
The Army Corps proposed 8 options last year, but it told Congress to pick one. The new bill would make the Corps do that.
The most expensive option is to physically separate watersheds which connect the carp-infested Mississippi River with Lake Michigan. It would take about 25 years to complete at a cost of $18 million.
Another option would install electronic fish barriers at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam at Joliet Illinois, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago.
Great Lakes congressional lawmakers say they want officials to look at projects that can be accomplished rapidly — so the $7 billion sport fishing industry on the Great Lakes doesn’t get damaged.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
