Politics
Illinois Finally Signs Agreement to Build $1B Invasive Carp Barrier, Now That the State Isn’t on the Hook for Entire Lifelong Maintenance Tab
Video: Molly Flanagan, chief operating officer and vice president for programs at the Alliance for the Great Lakes, appears on "Chicago Tonight" on July 8, 2024, to discuss the Brandon Road Lock and Dam. (Produced by Emily Soto)
After months of negotiations, Illinois finally signed onto a project partnership agreement this week with the state of Michigan and the Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with construction of what’s largely viewed as the last line of defense against invasive carp entering the Great Lakes.
The best chance to halt the carp’s progress into the lakes — so far the fish has relentlessly moved north up the Mississippi River — is a multi-layered barrier at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois, which has been identified as a critical pinch point.
Crucial federal funding, to the tune of $274 million, was allocated to the $1.15 billion Brandon Road Interbasin Project, and Illinois and Michigan have committed a combined $114 million.
But the partnership agreement was needed in order to release those federal dollars and begin the actual construction phase. (Design and pre-construction has been underway since 2020.) Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker balked at signing, as previously reported by WBEZ, due to what he viewed as the state’s disproportionate shouldering — finance-wise — of a Great Lakes region-wide crisis.
“While the federal government has determined this project is of the highest priority, the taxpayers of Illinois and Michigan should not be the only states to carry the burden of the non-federal share of funding when the entire Great Lakes region will certainly experience the devastating impact of inaction,” Pritzker told the Army Corps in documents obtained by WBEZ.
Invasive carp. (Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee / Flickr Creative Commons)
Illinois would also be on the hook to pay for operation and maintenance of the Brandon Road barrier, in perpetuity, the cost of which is unknown.
This May, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, in tandem with their colleagues from Michigan, were able to secure a provision shifting 90% of the operation and maintenance costs to the federal government once construction is complete at Brandon Road.
In addition, Illinois and Michigan have entered into a separate agreement to ensure any additional costs are shared, according to a statement from Pritzker’s office.
With those guardrails in place, the project partnership agreement was finalized.
“Complex agreements like this don’t happen in a vacuum, nor do they happen quickly. A tremendous amount of effort over many months went into hammering out the details of this agreement. I’m thrilled this consequential project will now be able to move forward,” Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Natalie Phelps Finnie said in a statement.
Contracts for fabrication, continued design, leading edge deterrents, and bedrock removal are now able to go out for bid.
“We are excited to be entering this next phase of the project and are committed to preventing the upstream movement of invasive carp and other aquatic nuisance species into the Great Lakes,” said Col. Aaron Williams, commander of the Army Corps’ Rock Island District.
Were they to become established in the Great Lakes, invasive carp could devastate native ecosystems and destroy the Great Lakes’ $20 billion fishing and boating industries.
The Brandon Road barrier will deploy multiple layers of deterrents — from acoustics to an air bubble curtain to a flushing lock — to protect the lakes’ natural and economic assets.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
