Latest news with #BrandonRoadInterbasinProject
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Illinois must protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp. A toxic mess stands in the way.
Last week, Illinois officials took possession of a 50-acre stretch of riverbed in Chicago's shipping channel in a last-ditch effort to prevent an ecological disaster from reaching Lake Michigan. It is there, on a sliver of land where a coal-fired power plant once stood, that the state plans a last stand against the invasive Asian carp. It wants to build a $1.1 billion barricade, called the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, to keep the particularly voracious predator from muscling past the channel that connects the Mississippi River Basin with the Great Lakes. But to keep the fish from breaching the divide, the state needs more land. It has a couple of acres in mind, but there's a catch: The ground is contaminated by coal ash, the carcinogenic byproduct of burning that fossil fuel to generate electricity. No one knows for sure the extent of the pollution or its implications on public health because Midwest Generation, which ran the power plant, has refused to let anyone on the site before a deal is signed. But Illinois must remediate whatever land it acquires before turning it over to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to break ground on the project. Now Illinois is caught in a bind: Officials must stop the invasive carp from swinging an ecological wrecking ball into the Great Lakes with potentially grave implications for a multibillion-dollar fisheries and recreation economy. 'I do not know why Illinois is holding out on transferring the rest of the lands,' said Don Joddery, director of federal relations for the nonprofit Alliance of the Great Lakes. 'Those lands are needed right now.' Joddery's urgency reflects a grim calculus. The longer the state waits to secure and clean up the site, the longer the carp have an opportunity to infiltrate Lake Michigan and the waterways beyond. Just 40 miles separate the fish from the largest freshwater ecosystem on the planet. But stopping them means coming to terms with a legacy of toxic pollution that almost certainly leaves taxpayers, not Midwest Generation, to reel in the mess it left behind. Midwest Generation declined to comment on discussions regarding the property per an agreement with the state of Illinois, said company spokesman Erik Linden. Last week, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker praised the company, which declared bankruptcy in 2012, for its 'generous donation' of the 50-acre parcel, a critical piece of the first phase of the Brandon Road project. The governor had put the barrier on hold in February, worried that the Trump administration would kill federal funding for it. But the White House expressed wholehearted support for the effort earlier this month. A letter obtained by Grist disclosed that on May 8, the Army Corps assured Illinois officials it had secured $100 million for the first phase of construction. The donated parcel, officials confirmed, is not subject to remediation — only the remaining land remains locked in negotiation. Pritzker's office did not respond to a request for comment, but told Grist last year, 'We are concerned that Illinois taxpayers are being asked to foot the bill for environmental remediation associated with construction of the Brandon Road project. There are many unanswered questions regarding the ultimate scope and cost of this work, and we would like to finalize a remediation plan before committing to pay for it.' The term 'invasive carp' is shorthand for four species native to China: bighead, black, grass, and silver carp. They were introduced to fish farms in the southern United States in the 1970s to control algae. They escaped confinement about a decade after arriving and have since infiltrated the Mississippi River Basin. Research has shown that there are now more silver and bighead carp in stretches of the Illinois River than anywhere else in the world. 'It's a carp factory,' said Cory Suski, a biologist and environmental scientist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who has studied the carp for more than 10 years. 'It's hard to really put into words until you've seen thousands of carp in the air jumping out of the water.' Silver carp, known for their 10-foot leaps when disturbed, have made stretches of the river dangerous for boaters and anglers alike. Below the surface, the fish — silver and bighead carp in particular — are wreaking havoc. The hardy critters are voracious and grow quickly, leaving little food or habitat for native species like gizzard shad and bigmouth buffalo, both of which are now in decline. Yet, the carp's once inexorable northward progress stopped about 40 miles from Lake Michigan. 'They've stalled,' said Suski. Scientists suspect pollutants in Chicago's wastewater effluent — though within legal limits and safe for humans — may be repelling the fish. 'There's something in the water,' said Austin Happle, a research biologist with Shedd Aquarium. 'There's likely something unaccounted for that is keeping this specific group of fish from migrating further.' Previous studies have detected pharmaceuticals and volatile organic compounds in the area. Scientists have found that Chicago-area water leaves the carp stressed and lethargic, and in some cases brings some individuals to a complete standstill. Illinois officials have gotten creative as they've tried to curb the carp since they arrived in Illinois back in the 1990s. They have rebranded the swimmers as 'copi' to spur demand among anglers and cooks. They have sponsored a program that pays commercial fishing operations an extra 10 cents per pound for the animals, and have even funded all-out harvests, one of which removed as much as 750,000 pounds of the pescine pests on the riverfront of Starved Rock State Park. The Brandon Road project is the most elaborate deterrent by far. The underwater fortress exploits a narrow stretch of the Des Plaines Rivers where engineers want to install a suite of four barricades aimed at repelling the carp via electric shocks, acoustics blasts, bubble curtains, and a lock that can flush out the aquatic annoyances. Read Next Inside a growing movement to turn the lionfish menace into a main course Maddy Lauria Beyond the fact the project's ideal site is heavily polluted lie other concerns. Documents obtained by Grist reveal bipartisan concerns about its cost that go back years. A 2018 letter from Republican Governor Bruce Rauner warned the Army Corps, 'If hazardous materials are eventually detected on the subject property, this will create potentially astronomical and unacceptable project right-of-way expenses for the state of Illinois.' Pritzker expressed similar fears last year. Last year, the corps worked out the agreement to build the barrier with support from Illinois and Michigan. The federal government agreed to cover 90 percent of the project's long-term costs. Michigan even pledged $30 million toward remediation. That money, however, is to pay for cleanup at the project site — a fraction of Midwest Generation's Joliet property. The state has been aware of the contamination since 2010, when Illinois regulators started requiring groundwater monitoring of coal ash deposits. That oversight led to the discovery of groundwater contamination at all four of Midwest Generation's coal plants: three in suburban Chicago, including the Joliet site slated for the Brandon Road project, and one in central Illinois. The Sierra Club and several other organizations have waged a 13-year fight with the Illinois Pollution Control Board to compel Midwest Generation to remedy the situation. Those proceedings reached a critical phase about a year ago. 'The Illinois Pollution Control Board indicated that Midwest Generation is indeed violating Illinois law at these four sites with its ash management and ash disposal practices,' said Faith Bugel, an attorney with Sierra Club who has worked on the case for over a decade. 'Now we are in the remedy phase, where the board is deciding what remedy to put in place in response to the violations.' In light of the state's recent transaction with Midwest Generation, Bugel remains concerned with the pending litigation and who will be left to clean up toxic pollution — and what it'll cost them. Meanwhile, the project's timeline remains tight. Preliminary site preparation kicked off in January and is expected to wrap up by the end of June. For now, Illinois is stuck between two crises: The carp are perilously close to Lake Michigan, and the best chance of stopping them requires dealing with toxic pollution. The only question is who'll be on the hook for cleaning it up. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Illinois must protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp. A toxic mess stands in the way. on May 28, 2025.
Chicago Tribune
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Column: State gladly accepts federal funds to curb carp
There was nothing fishy about President Donald Trump unleashing federal money last week to combat the threat of invasive carp entering Lake Michigan. After fears the administration would withhold the funding to punish Illinois, the president showed his bark is maybe worse than his bite. At least when it comes to this ecosystem issue. Illinois Department of Natural Resources officials had expected to begin the Brandon Road Interbasin Project on the Des Plaines River in Joliet in Will County back in February. That date was delayed after officials were afraid funding might be postponed since the president and Gov. JB Pritzker have been sniping at each other, according to a News-Sun story earlier this week by Olivia Olander of the Chicago Tribune. First phase of the work, pegged at about $340 million, is proposed to stop the so-called Asian carp — silver, bighead, grass and black carp — from entering the Big Lake fishery, where they could spread to the other four Great Lakes. Two more phases of the project, in the planning stage for more than five years, including an electric-shock barrier, are proposed in the coming years. The overall pricetag is an estimated $1.2 billion. That's a hefty cost, yet at stake is the future of the Great Lakes recreational fishing, boating and tourism industry, estimated at $16 billion, as well as the lakes' $7 billion commercial fishing industry. Charter boat captains, from Northpoint Marina in Winthrop Harbor to Waukegan Harbor to Chicago, along with weekend anglers, have already been successfully plying Lake Michigan this spring seeking various trout and salmonoid species with great luck. Reports indicate that there have been many days of limit catches. The Brandon Road Lock and Dam barrier plans offered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are considered the last stand in stemming the expected push by the invasive species into the Great Lakes, which are the largest freshwater system in the world. Downstream from the lake along the Illinois River, the voracious fish have taken over waterways. Indeed, one study has determined that up to 50 million pounds of carp a year could be taken in the river, and even more from waterways south to the Gulf Coast. The state has attempted to 'rebrand' the fish as the affordable 'seafood' they now call copi. Nobody has swallowed that despite some Chicago chefs crafting dishes using the plentiful copi, a nod to how 'copious' the fish are. Apparently, the fish is tasty, but still carp is carp. Other uses for the fish are exporting them to Asian markets and for fertilizer. Like other invasives, the carp were introduced in the 1960s to help aquaculture in the South, but have since spread to 31 states. There's plenty of video on social media showing hundreds of carp jumping into boats on various rivers, including the mighty Mississippi. The devastation the species could cause to the Great Lakes would be an environmental disaster. There's no guarantee the barrier plans will keep the carp from lakes, which already have some freshwater common European carp, also an invasive species, swimming free. As in the case of other invasives — lamprey eels, zebra mussels or gobies — they have a way of getting where they want to go. Perhaps capitalist Trump sees the financial damage the invasives could wreak on Midwestern states, as he's promised the feds will write a check for their fair share. Or he's repaying the sportsmen in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin who helped him to victory last fall in battleground states. Whatever the reason, Illinois officials and others are pleased to see the money forthcoming. Unlike another $2 billion in federal funds for some 70 other projects across the state, destined for Illinois but hanging fire. Pritzker said Trump 'heard our calls about the importance of delivering federal funds,' according to Olander's story. He added that the administration 'decided to finally meet their obligations to the state of Illinois and the Great Lakes region.' The National Wildlife Federation, too, praised the full-funding measure, calling it 'the most effective solution to protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp.' If the fish make their way to Lake Michigan, from what we've seen on the Illinois River, it will be near-impossible to get rid of their presence. The Brandon Road barrier may keep them out of our precious resource. When that happens, the Trump administration will receive an overdue 'thank you' from environmentalists and fishers across the region.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Invasive Asian carp are nearing Lake Michigan as Trump, Whitmer discuss ways to stop them
Is there a solution in sight for keeping invasive Asian carp away from the Great Lakes? President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, had discussed at length the need to ensure barriers are put in place to keep invasive Asian carp out of Lake Michigan. If allowed in Lake Michigan, Asian carp could do huge damage to the ecosystem, fishing and tourism. Here's what to know, based on our latest reporting on the issue. A project to keep invasive carp species from reaching the Great Lakes is in jeopardy as the state of Illinois halted its work in February, seeking assurances from the Trump administration that federal funding for the more than $1.1-billion project will not be revoked. The Brandon Road Interbasin Project is a joint project between the federal government and the states of Illinois and Michigan on the Des Plaines River, about 27 miles southwest of Chicago in Joliet, Illinois, and about 40 miles from Lake Michigan. A planned lock and dam system there would include an electric barrier, unappealing sounds for fish and gates of bubbles as deterrents — all designed to deter invasive bighead, silver, black and grass carp from entering the Great Lakes. The carp were imported from Asia to the southern U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s to control algae blooms in aquaculture facilities, farm ponds and sewage lagoons. Floods and human mismanagement helped the carp escape into the Mississippi River system, where their spread exploded. The carp grow fast, eat voraciously and breed prolifically. A single female can produce a million eggs or more, and the fish can grow up to 100 pounds. Scientists believe the invaders would out-compete native species and Michigan's prized sports fish, creating ecological chaos on the Great Lakes. Bighead and silver carp are now within 47 miles of Lake Michigan, according to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Rock Island Illinois District and the states of Illinois and Michigan last July 1 announced the signing of a project partnership agreement for the Brandon Road lock and dam, moving it into the construction phase. The agreement allowed $274 million in federal funding, including $226 million provided by then-President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and $114 million in state funding from Illinois and Michigan to be used for construction of the first of three construction increments of the $1.15 billion project. But Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Natalie Phelps Finnie, in a Feb. 10 letter to Col. Aaron Williams, commander of the Army Corps' Rock Island District, advised that state officials were postponing a Feb. 11 property rights closing on riverbed property needed in the first phase of construction. "The Trump administration's lack of clarity and commitment to delivering funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources leaves the state to anticipate a lack of federal funding for the Brandon Road Project," Phelps Finnie stated. She stated that the state would seek a potential new property rights closing date in May "to allow Illinois to receive written assurances of federal funding." "We stand ready to move forward if the administration provides the certainty to fund this critical project," Phelps Finnie stated. Illinois Gov. JB Prizker said in February that the Trump administration, since taking office Jan. 20, has withheld $117 million in federal grants for the Illinois DNR, forcing the state to pause contracts and put nearly 70 infrastructure projects on hold. "Despite court orders, the Trump administration continues to withhold funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources — to create jobs cleaning up abandoned mines and gas wells that are polluting air and water in rural communities," Pritzker, a Democrat, said in a statement. "I have a responsibility to protect Illinois taxpayers. If the federal government does not live up to its obligations, Illinois could unfairly suffer the burden of hundreds of millions of dollars of liability. We cannot move forward until the Trump administration provides more certainty and clarity on whether they will follow the law and deliver infrastructure funds we were promised." Michigan DNR Director Scott Bowen also expressed his concern in February. "It is imperative that the work at Brandon Road continues in order to protect the Great Lakes commercial and recreational fishery, which is valued at $7 billion annually and supports more than 75,000 jobs,' he said. The Brandon Road lock and dam "is one of the most important Great Lakes protection projects of the 21st century," said Joel Brammeier, president and CEO of the nonprofit, Chicago-based Alliance for the Great Lakes. "Everybody who lives in Michigan, and lots of people elsewhere, understands the damage that invasive species have done to the Great Lakes — to tourism, costs to industries and utilities, to recreation, to the quality of life of people who live there." Great Lakes invaders such as sea lampreys and zebra and quagga mussels have meant "the citizens of Great Lakes states are still paying — whether they know it or not — hundreds of millions of dollars annually in costs from previous invasions," Brammeier said. "So stopping new invasive species from getting in is job one." Whether the Trump administration will provide assurances of the project's future funding remains unclear. Brammeier noted that the Corps had already begun prep work on the river channel where facilities will be constructed and technology installed, and that work is continuing. "(Illinois officials) put out there that they want things to be back on track by May," he said. "I think the Army Corps can weather that and keep its part of the project moving. But you get beyond that and you really start to run a much bigger risk to the overall project." Todd Spangler contributed. Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Trump, Whitmer discuss Asian carp nearing Lake Michigan, Great Lakes
