Funding agreement will kick-start project to keep invasive carp out of Great Lakes

Officials lauded a newly signed agreement between the state governments of Michigan and Illinois and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to unlock funding for a project aimed at preventing invasive f ish species from entering the Great Lakes.

The Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois, serves as a choke point for invasive species entering the Great Lakes. A funding agreement announced Monday provides $274 million in federal funds and $114 million in combined state funding from Michigan and Illinois to finance construction of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project. The funding will commence the first phase of the $1.1 billion project aimed at keeping out invasive carp and other nuisance species from entering the Great Lakes by having the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers install a series of measures at the dam.

“Today’s agreement will help us get shovels in the ground as soon as possible on the critical Brandon Road project,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “The Great Lakes are the beating heart of Michigan’s economy, and Brandon Road will help us protect local communities and key industries, including fishing and boating, that support tens of thousands of good-paying jobs."

The federal government is providing 90% of the funding needed for the project, according to state officials.

Certain species of invasive carp, like the bighead , are known to reproduce rapidly and can weigh up to 90 pounds . The plankton that they eat are a main food source for native species of fish and other wildlife in the Great Lakes.

Four species of invasive carp, previously called Asian carp , were introduced in North America during the '70s. The fish were placed in ponds to eat algae, and also were considered a new dining option for a human consumption, according to the New York Invasive Species Information Clearinghouse . But the fish escaped the ponds quickly and have been found in river systems, including those of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Bighead carp are found in the Illinois River, according to the Clearinghouse, which is connected to the Great Lakes via the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

If certain species of the carp were to enter the Great Lakes, they would be able to thrive in parts of Lake Michigan rich in plankton , a 2019 University of Michigan study found. Plankton is a primary food source for many native fish species in the Great Lakes, like walleye, yellow perch and lake whitefish, the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says. Invasive bighead carp can eat up to 40% of their own weight each day, and their presence would threaten native fish and Michigan's commercial fishing industry.

Measures like constructing an engineered channel with an electric barrier, a flushing lock, underwater acoustic deterrents air bubble curtain and an automated barge clearing deterrent at Brandon Road are all part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' recommended strategies for keeping invasive species out of the Great Lakes.

State officials encourage residents to report potential sightings of invasive carp in the Great Lakes to the DNR. Reports can be submitted online at the DNR's website or to the DNR's fisheries division.

Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com .

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Funding agreement will kick-start project to keep invasive carp out of Great Lakes