The Great Lakes Commission and the
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative have released a million dollar
study by Omaha based HDR, Inc. of methods for physically blocking the spread of
predatory Asian Carp into Lake Michigan through the Chicago Area Waterway
System. The study proposes three different options for physical obstruction of
carp migration through the water system originally built to keep raw Chicago
River sewage out of Lake Michigan.
The options all involve sheet
pilings and impermeable land bridges within the navigable waterways, with the
two more expensive options including intermodal cargo transfers and
recreational boat lifts to maintain navigability. Costs of the various
construction projects are predicted to range from $3.3 billion up to $9.5
billion, with a time line of 10 years before breaking ground, and completion in
2029. The Army Corps of Engineers is
also studying the Asian Carp problem, and in a letter to Assistant Secretary of
the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy, 31 Congressmen and Senators have asked
her to include the HDR study in the Corps project to speed up the fish barrier.
