Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative applauds agreement to advance Brandon Road project to stop Asian carp

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative applauds the agreement between the State of Illinois and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to advance the Brandon Road project to stop Asian carp.

“This agreement for the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project will help block invasive Asian carp from advancing from the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers through the Chicago Area Waterway System and into Lake Michigan,” said Sheboygan Mayor Mike Vandersteen, Chair of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative. “We urge the Army Corps of Engineers to include funding in its work plan for the coming year to ensure the project can move forward without further delay.”

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative made the advancement of this project a legislative priority and appreciates the authorization from Congress that will allow the Corps of Engineers to proceed with the design and construction of these barriers. The project was authorized by Congress in the recently passed Water Resources Development Act. The State of Michigan has agreed to provide $8 million of the approximately $10 million non-federal cost share of the engineering and design phase of the project and the State of Illinois will provide approximately $2.5 million. The federal government is expected to provide about $18 million.

The design phase is planned to take 3-4 years, with construction expected to take 6-8 years based on current projections.

Preventing the introduction of Asian carp into the Great Lakes has been a longstanding priority for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative. In 2012 the Cities Initiative collaborated with the Great Lakes Commission on a detailed study that identified engineering options for preventing the movement of Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species between the Mississippi River watershed and the Great Lakes. The two organizations worked with a variety of agencies in the following years to develop and advance control options, leading to the plan for the Brandon Road Lock and Dam.

More information on the Brandon Road project is available online at MVR.USACE.Army.mil/GLMRIS-BR.

About Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is a binational coalition of U.S. and Canadian mayors from more than 125 cities and municipalities working to advance the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. The Cities Initiative and local officials integrate environmental, economic and social agendas to sustain a resource that represents approximately 80% of North America’s surface freshwater supply, provides drinking water for 40 million people, and is the foundation upon which a strong regional economy is based.