|
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.
|
|
