Politics
Invasive Carp Barrier Is Back in Business, With Funding Guarantee From Trump
Invasive carp. (Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee / Flickr Creative Commons)
Illinois is once again moving forward with a planned barrier designed to keep invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes, having secured funding guarantees from the federal government.
On Friday, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announced the state had acquired a nearly 50-acre property needed for the construction of the barrier, a deal that had been set to close in February but was paused by Gov. JB Pritzker due to concerns the Trump administration would renege on funds allocated for the project.
In response, the White House issued a memorandum on May 9 — “Protecting the Great Lakes from Invasive Carp” — in support of the project, and critical of Pritzker’s delays.
With that commitment from the federal government in hand, Pritzker proceeded with the real estate transaction, which gives the state riverbed access to the Brandon Road Lock, the pinch point in the Des Plaines River where the barrier will be built. The site is roughly 30 miles southwest of Chicago.
The Brandon Road Project is largely viewed as the best chance to keep invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes by deploying a variety of deterrents, from acoustics to an air bubble curtain to a flushing lock.
These voracious feeders were imported to the U.S. in the 1970s to help clean retention ponds but escaped into the wild through flooding and accidental releases.
The carp — bighead, silver and black carp are the species of greatest concern — have since made their way into the Illinois River, which is their gateway to the Great Lakes courtesy of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.
The carp weigh up to 100 pounds and consume one-third of their body weight daily. They not only outcompete native fish for food but also can alter the underwater environment so that it’s uninhabitable for plants and other animals, threatening native ecosystems as well as Great Lakes fishing and recreation.
After years of wrangling, the federal government finally allocated $274 million and also agreed to pay the lion’s share of ongoing maintenance costs.
In December 2024, the first construction contract was awarded for the project. The newly announced land acquisition represents another milestone in the project’s progress.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
