invasive carp

https://greatlakes.org/2025/05/brandon-road-invasive-carp-barrier-land-transferred/

tfazzini

White House Issues Invasive Carp Memo

On: May 10, 2025

In: invasive carp

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO, IL (May 9, 2025) – Today, President Donald Trump signed and issued a memo directing his administration to take steps to block invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes. The memo is a signal of support for the Brandon Road project intended to stop invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes and causing irreversible damage.

“We appreciate the White House’s acknowledgement that now is the time to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes by building the Brandon Road project,” said Joel Brammeier, President and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes.

The Brandon Road Lock and Dam was identified as the crucial bottleneck where layered underwater deterrent technologieswill be used to stop invasive carp populations from moving into the Great Lakes. Using the Illinois River and other waterways to expand their territory, invasive carp pose a significant threat to the ecological and economic health of Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes.

These invasive fish have already wreaked havoc on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, causing damage to native fish populations by outcompeting them for food. Silver carp leap into the air when startled, posing the risk of serious injury to people and making infested waters off-limits to boating. Great Lakes communities and industries would be deeply harmed if invasive carp were to get into the Great Lakes or its tributaries and inland lakes.

Contact: Don Carr, Alliance for the Great Lakes Media Director dcarr@greatlakes.org

###

The post White House Issues Invasive Carp Memo appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/05/white-house-issues-invasive-carp-executive-order/

Michelle Farley

Michigan Governor and House Speaker Working to Keep Invasive Carp Out of the Great Lakes

On: April 10, 2025

In: invasive carp

CHICAGO, IL (April 10, 2025) – Yesterday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Speaker of the Michigan House Matt Hall engaged with the White House on finalizing the pending Brandon Road invasive carp barrier project. After more than a decade of planning and design, the Brandon Road project was scheduled to move forward in 2025. This project is intended to stop invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes and causing irreversible damage to the Great Lakes and to the people who call it home.

“We greatly appreciate Michigan Governor Whitmer’s and Michigan Speaker Matt Hall’s commitment to the Brandon Road project and applaud their continued efforts to get this critical invasive carp barrier built,” said Joel Brammeier, president and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes and Marc Smith, Great Lakes policy director for the National Wildlife Federation in a joint statement.

The Brandon Road Lock and Dam was identified as the crucial bottleneck where layered underwater deterrent technologies will be used to stop invasive carp populations from moving into the Great Lakes. Using the Illinois River and other waterways to expand their territory, invasive carp pose a significant threat to the world class fishery and economic vitality of Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes.

# # #

Contacts:

Don Carr, Media Director, Alliance for the Great Lakes, dcarr@greatlakes.org
Anna Marie Zorn, Great Lakes Senior Communications Manager, National Wildlife Federation zorna@nwf.org

More about Invasive Carp

Read more about the invasive carp approaching Lake Michigan and the Brandon Road project designed to stop them.

The post Michigan Governor and House Speaker Working to Keep Invasive Carp Out of the Great Lakes appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

Chicago Tribune: Pritzker delays start of invasive carp project at Brandon Road in Joliet amid federal funding concerns

https://greatlakes.org/2025/04/michigan-governor-and-house-speaker-working-to-keep-invasive-carp-out-of-the-great-lakes/

tfazzini

Update: Keeping Invasive Carp Out of the Great Lakes

On: February 13, 2025

In: invasive carp

Joel Brammeier, President & CEO

Invasive carp are headed toward the Great Lakes, advancing up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers where they have already wreaked havoc. The Brandon Road project – a series of underwater deterrents and barriers at an existing lock in Illinois – is our best chance to stop them before they threaten the region’s $5.1 billion fishing and $16 billion recreational boating industries.

To date, the U.S. Congress has appropriated $274 million, and the States of Illinois and Michigan have provided $114 million and signed a project partnership agreement detailing their respective obligations to move the project forward. Initial contracts have been awarded for the first phase of construction. Work is underway.

On Tuesday, the project’s groundbreaking celebration was put on hold when Illinois put a temporary pause on transferring some land needed for the project. The state wants assurances from the Trump Administration that future federal funding will be available for the project so that it can be finished.

Any delay or halt of construction of this project threatens the economy and environment of the Great Lakes and opens the door to yet another invasive species to do irreversible damage to the Great Lakes and to the people who call it home.

This is yet another example of the ways federal funding is critical to the Great Lakes. While this project site is located in Illinois, it will benefit every Great Lakes state. Invasive carp don’t stop at state lines. We’re fortunate that the project, which has been guided by more than a decade of advocacy, enjoys broad support across the region and in Congress from members of both parties.

We will continue to watch this closely and will update you when there are new developments. And we’ll continue speaking out in support of the project, including in these stories this week:

WGN TV: Asian Carp barrier project on Des Plaines River delayed as federal funds hang in limbo

NBC 5 Chicago: State delays Joliet invasive carp project over ‘anticipated lack of funding’

Chicago PBS: Illinois Puts Invasive Carp Barrier on Hold, Pritzker Says Trump Administration Can’t Be Trusted as Funding Partner

Wisconsin Public Radio: Illinois delays project to keep invasive carp out of Great Lakes, cites uncertainty over federal funding

Speak Out for the Great Lakes

The Great Lakes can’t speak for themselves. But you can speak out for them! Contact your elected officials, take a pledge, or work for change in your own community.

Take Action

The post Update: Keeping Invasive Carp Out of the Great Lakes appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/02/update-keeping-invasive-carp-out-of-the-great-lakes/

Alliance responds to delay in invasive carp barrier project

On: February 11, 2025

In: invasive carp

CHICAGO (February 11, 2025) — The Alliance for the Great Lakes responded today to a delay in the project to construct barriers at Brandon Road Lock and Dam that would halt the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes.

“After more than a decade of planning and design, the Brandon Road project is intended to stop invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes. Any delay or halt of construction of this project threatens the economy and environment of the Great Lakes and opens the door to yet another invasive species to do irreversible damage to the Great Lakes and to the people who call it home,” said Joel Brammeier, Alliance for the Great Lakes President and CEO.

Invasive carp pose a serious threat to the ecological health of the Great Lakes and the people and economies these waters support, including the region’s $5.1 billion fishing and $16 billion recreational boating industries. Silver and bighead carp have already wreaked havoc on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, out-competing native fish for food and injuring people who recreate on the rivers. The project at Brandon Road Lock and Dam consists of a series of underwater fish deterrent measures to prevent invasive carp from entering Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes.

# # #

Contact: Don Carr, Media Director, Alliance for the Great Lakes, dcarr@greatlakes.org

More about Invasive Carp

Read more about the invasive carp approaching Lake Michigan and the Brandon Road project designed to stop them.

The post Alliance responds to delay in invasive carp barrier project appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

Download the water infrastructure fact sheet.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/02/alliance-responds-to-delay-in-invasive-carp-barrier-project/

tfazzini

How Washington Can Support the Great Lakes in 2025

On: January 29, 2025

In: Agricultural runoff, Combined sewer overflows, Drinking Water, great lakes restoration, Green stormwater infrastructure, invasive carp, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

Significant progress continues to be made in protecting and restoring the Great Lakes, but much more needs to be done. The federal government plays a major role in this work by funding projects, administering programs, and enforcing rules. With a permanent presence in Washington, D.C., the Alliance for the Great Lakes advocates to federal decision makers to ensure the region’s voices are heard. We update and release our federal priorities each year.

Although increased federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allowed states and the federal government to address drinking and wastewater infrastructure backlogs, removal of lead water service lines, and the cleanup of toxic legacy pollution, we still have too many Great Lakers experiencing polluted water too often. Invasive species continue to threaten the lakes, nutrient runoff from agriculture causes toxic algae blooms, and plastic pollutes our shorelines and contaminates our drinking water.

In our 2025 federal policy priorities, we’ve identified opportunities for the 119th Congress and the Trump Administration to address these challenges in collaboration with states and local communities. Many of these priorities are familiar systemic problems that take time to resolve. But as we’ve shown through efforts like stopping invasive carp, working on a big challenge for a decade or more is often what it takes to finally get the right solution.

For the upcoming year, Congress and the Trump Administration must work together to pass an annual federal budget to provide states with sufficient federal resources to fix our ailing water infrastructure; enact a Farm Bill that will reduce the flow of nutrient pollution into the lakes; maintain progress on key federal projects intended to stop invasive species, including the Brandon Road Interbasin Project; and provide funding for, and reauthorize, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to continue support for on-the-ground restoration projects benefiting many communities throughout the Great Lakes region. Water pollution, and the resulting health and economic burdens, fall unequally on people in cities and towns across the Great Lakes. Federal decision makers should shape policy to ensure that all Great Lakers have access to safe, clean, and affordable water.

Read on for full details of our 2025 Great Lakes federal policy priorities, or download the fact sheet to learn more.

Ensure clean water protects the health of people and natural resources

Clean water is a basic need for all. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress late in 2021 was an important down payment to fix the nation’s failing and outdated water infrastructure. The funding jump-started efforts to replace dangerous lead pipes, fix leaky pipes, and stop sewage overflows from entering our lakes and people’s homes.

However, the funding is only a start and recent surveys indicate that water infrastructure needs have grown in the last several years. EPA’s 7th national Drinking Water Needs Information Survey and Assessment, completed in 2023, and the Clean Watershed Needs Survey completed in 2024, estimate that the Great Lakes region will need at least $290.3 billion over the next twenty years to fix our water infrastructure problems. This is an increase from the last national surveys and indicates that federal funding is not keeping up with needs. As a result, we need to keep the pressure on Congress to provide additional funds for water infrastructure programs and to strengthen them to ensure that money reaches communities with the highest needs. One of the most important ways the federal government provides this infrastructure funding to states and municipalities is through State Revolving Funds.

In addition, in 2024 the EPA released its first-ever Water Affordability Needs Assessment, which found that 12.1 to 19.2 million households lack access to affordable water service. This is a major public health risk that compels urgent federal action. One of the recommendations in the report is for Congress to pass legislation establishing a national water affordability program. We agree and plan to work with our partners and Congress to advocate for the establishment of a national water affordability program.

In 2025, we urge Congress to:

Increase annual funding to at least $9.3 billion for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds
Set aside at least 20 percent of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund as grants for green infrastructure projects such as green roofs, permeable pavement, and additional green spaces
Pass a federal ban on residential water shutoffs
Establish a federal program to provide financial assistance for water and sewer bills

In 2025, we urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to:

Require that states accepting federal funds increase funding and technical assistance for communities bearing the greatest burden of pollution so that they are equipped to apply for and receive funding through State Revolving Funds to replace toxic lead water pipes, repair malfunctioning sewers, and stop community flooding

Fund and reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is one of the most important tools in the region’s toolbox to protect and restore the lakes. The program has provided funding with near-universal bipartisan and public support for on-the-ground restoration projects, from wetland restoration to cleaning up toxic hot spots. The GLRI also provides major economic benefits. For every dollar spent by the program, an additional three dollars of value is added to the regional economy. In 2024, EPA relied on up-to-date science and extensive input from across the Great Lakes to issue the five-year Action Plan IV for the program to address the most critical threats to the region. The GLRI is also supporting significant progress to address the removal of toxic legacy pollution at Areas of Concern, a number of highly degraded areas that require extensive remediation throughout the Great Lakes.

In 2025, we urge Congress to:

Fund the GLRI with at least $475 million for FY 2026
Reauthorize the GLRI program at $500 million per year for five years from FY 2027-2031

In 2025, we urge the Environmental Protection Agency to:

Propose the authorized level of GLRI funding at $475 million for FY 2026
Make progress on finishing cleanup of most Areas of Concern by 2030, and implement Action Plan IV to address community needs for Great Lakes restoration

Download the Great Lakes restoration fact sheet.

Pass a Farm Bill that prioritizes clean water

Agriculture is the largest unaddressed source of nonpoint pollution in the Great Lakes region. Nonpoint pollution is pollution that doesn’t come from a single identifiable source such as a pipe, but instead originates from many places over a wide area. This runoff from agricultural lands puts the Great Lakes at risk. It pollutes drinking water by causing toxic algal blooms, threatens wildlife, harms the tourism economy, and prevents people from enjoying recreation on the Great Lakes. Ultimately these problems demand that the agriculture industry demonstrate it can operate safely without fouling our water.

Every five years, Congress develops a “Farm Bill,” a major package of legislation that sets the agenda and funding for national farm and food policy. Congress passed one-year extensions of the Farm Bill in 2023 and 2024, so in 2025 Congress can pass a Farm Bill that ensures farms produce clean water, not pollution, along with their crops.

In 2025, we urge Congress to pass a Farm Bill that:

Increases funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs
Includes provisions to ensure accountability for farm conservation programs aimed at stopping runoff pollution from agricultural lands

Download the agriculture fact sheet.

Pass legislation to stop plastic pollution

Researchers estimate that 22 million pounds of plastic pollution enter the Great Lakes each year. Plastic pollution isn’t just an unsightly problem in our waterways. It’s estimated that humans ingest a credit card-sized amount of plastic each week, with unknown long-term consequences for our health.

For many years, efforts to stop plastic pollution put the responsibility on individuals, such as recycling. But only a fraction of plastic produced each year is recycled, leaving the remainder to end up in landfills or as litter that lands in our waterways. The alternative is to require plastic producers to be responsible for their products through their lifecycle, which is called extended producer responsibility. Congress has an opportunity to be a leader on this issue.

In 2025, we urge Congress to pass legislation that:

Makes plastic producers responsible for reduction of plastic waste
Reduces the federal government’s use of single-use plastics including polystyrene foam
Funds additional research on the public health impact of plastics

Download the plastic pollution fact sheet.

Protect the Great Lakes from aquatic invasive species

Invasive species have caused irreparable harm to the Great Lakes ecosystem and cost the region billions of dollars at least since the mid-20th century. Preventing them from ever entering is the best way to protect the Great Lakes. Invasive bighead and silver carp are still a major risk. Established populations of invasive carp are only 50 miles from Chicago and Lake Michigan. But it’s not too late to prevent them from reaching the lakes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is implementing additional carp prevention measures at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois. The facility is fully authorized by Congress, supported by the Great Lakes states, and is a critical choke point in the waterways leading to Lake Michigan. Congress and federal agencies must continue to support this project, which has broken ground and is under construction.

In 2025, we urge Congress to:

Provide federal funding to initiate the design and engineering phase for the second increment of construction (the first increment is underway) at the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, which is intended to stop invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes

In 2025, we urge the Army Corps of Engineers to:

Continue implementing the first phase of construction at the Brandon Road Interbasin Project
Initiate planning, design, and engineering for the second increment of construction so that it can be completed in time for the second increment to follow seamlessly when the first increment is complete

Download the invasive species fact sheet.

Join Us February 20

Join the webinar to learn more about these critical issues. You’ll hear from members of our team who presented our federal priorities to members of Congress in meetings at the Capitol.

The post How Washington Can Support the Great Lakes in 2025 appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/01/how-washington-can-support-the-great-lakes-in-2025/

Congress Continues Momentum to Stop Invasive Carp

On: December 23, 2024

In: invasive carp

Congress – on a bipartisan vote – passed legislation late last week that continues strong momentum to stop invasive carp from reaching Lake Michigan.

Invasive carp pose serious economic and ecological threats to the Great Lakes. Silver and bighead carp have already wreaked havoc on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, out-competing native fish for food and injuring people who recreate on the rivers. We must stop these invasive fish from moving any closer to Lake Michigan.

Funding supports carp prevention project

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will soon start building a critical project to stop invasive carp from reaching Lake Michigan. The Corps will install a series of barriers at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois, a chokepoint in waterways leading to Lake Michigan.

In the bill just passed, Congress increased the federal cost-share – which is how much the federal government will chip in – to 90% for the project’s annual operations and maintenance. This commitment shows that Congress and the Administration recognize that the invasive carp pose a significant threat to the entire Great Lakes region.

By increasing the federal cost-share to 90%, Congress has helped ensure that we keep moving with urgency to protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp.

Construction of carp barriers set to begin

The Brandon Road project – a series of barriers on the Des Plaines River to stop silver and bighead carp from reaching the Great Lakes – is now set to begin construction. Site preparation and riverbed rock removal will begin at Brandon Road in January.

“Thank you to all the Great Lake advocates, members of Congress, and state and local officials who are working to keep invasive carp out of our lakes,” says Molly Flanagan, Chief Operating Officer, Alliance for the Great Lakes. “We look forward to seeing shovels in the ground at Brandon Road early next year.”

More about Invasive Carp

Read more about the invasive carp approaching Lake Michigan and the Brandon Road project designed to stop them.

The post Congress Continues Momentum to Stop Invasive Carp appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/12/congress-continues-momentum-to-stop-invasive-carp/

Breakthroughs for the Great Lakes

On: December 16, 2024

In: invasive carp

Joel Brammeier, President & CEO

I firmly believe in the power of the long view. Great Lakes problems often result from years of accumulated neglect and bad decisions. Righting the ship requires years of patience and steady work until — one day — the breakthrough happens.

Thanks to your support, 2024 has been a year of breakthroughs for the Great Lakes and the people who rely on them. Some of the year’s most important achievements include:

Blocking Invasive Species. As a result of more than a decade of advocacy, construction will begin in 2025 on barriers to stop invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes as they advance from the Mississippi River watershed. This project at the Brandon Road Lock & Dam in Illinois will be the most effective deterrent to keep the invasive carp from wreaking havoc on the ecosystem and economic health of the Great Lakes.

Keeping Plastic Out of Our Waters. Adopt-a-Beach volunteers collected a milestone 10 millionth piece of litter this year. This amazing accomplishment spanned more than 200,000 volunteers who cleaned up their shorelines over 20+ years. In April, we released a groundbreaking report based on the data these volunteers collected. The report, which found that the vast majority of litter we collect is plastic, gained national media attention and has strengthened national and state-level efforts to reduce the scourge of Great Lakes plastic pollution.

Getting Lead Out of Drinking Water. In October, the EPA finalized new standards that require most water utilities in the Great Lakes to replace harmful lead pipes within 10 years. The agency significantly tightened longer timelines for Cleveland and Chicago, two Great Lakes cities with hundreds of thousands of lead lines to replace. EPA also reduced the allowable levels of lead in drinking water, above which water systems need to take additional protective steps.

Fighting Toxic Algae Blooms. In October, we finished deploying the most significant agriculture pollution monitoring network in the region in southeast Michigan’s Lake Erie watershed. Measuring and studying the agricultural runoff that causes toxic Lake Erie algal blooms will improve targeting of conservation practices in Michigan to address the issue.

Expanding the Clean Water Circle. We’re working to ensure state and federal infrastructure funding doesn’t bypass communities that bear an unfair burden of failing water systems. 200+ members have joined our forum, which provides information and training to bring funds to communities in critical need of safe drinking water and protection from flooding and sewage overflows.

None of these breakthroughs would have been possible without our supporters. Whether you were one of the volunteers who removed more than 573,000 pieces of litter from Great Lakes shorelines; one of the advocates who sent more than 16,000 messages to federal, state, and local decision-makers; or one of the donors who gave generously to protect our waters, your contribution made a real difference for the lakes this year.

Thank you for making 2024 a year of breakthroughs for the Great Lakes and clean water. Your support is invaluable in ensuring that our Great Lakes remain a thriving, vital resource for all. We’re ready to keep up the momentum in 2025.

Keep the Breakthroughs Coming

Donate today to protect fresh, clean, and safe water, and support our work to preserve our Great Lakes. 

Give a Gift Today

The post Breakthroughs for the Great Lakes appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/12/breakthroughs-for-the-great-lakes/

Construction to Begin on Brandon Road Invasive Carp Barrier

On: December 4, 2024

In: invasive carp

Chicago, IL (December 4, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, announced they had awarded the first construction contract for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project on November 27. The Brandon Road project is a partnership between USACE and the States of Illinois and Michigan that is designed to prevent invasive carp from getting into the Great Lakes. The barrier is a major priority for the Alliance for the Great Lakes, which hailed the construction announcement:

“By moving ahead with construction in a timely manner, the Army Corp of Engineers and the states of Illinois and Michigan clearly recognize the threat invasive carp pose to the Great Lakes,” said Molly Flanagan, Alliance for the Great Lakes Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Programs. “The Alliance appreciates their continued dedication to stopping invasive carp from wreaking havoc on the Great Lakes.”

Using the Illinois River and other waterways to expand their territory, invasive carp pose a significant threat to the ecological and economic health of Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes. Invasive carp have already wreaked havoc on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. They cause serious damage to native fish populations because they out-compete other fish for food. Silver carp jump into the air when startled, posing the risk of serious injury to people and making infested waters off-limits to boating. Great Lakes communities and industries would be deeply harmed if invasive carp get into the Great Lakes and their tributaries and inland lakes. The Brandon Road Lock and Dam was identified as the crucial pinch point where layered technologies could be used to stop invasive carp populations from moving into the Great Lakes.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes has helped conceptualize the project and pushed at the state and federal levels to secure funding, complete engineering work, and keep the project moving forward. Advocates at the Alliance have been pushing for the project since the early 2000s.

###

Contact: Don Carr, Media Director, Alliance for the Great Lakes, dcarr@greatlakes.org

More about Invasive Carp

Read more about the invasive carp approaching Lake Michigan and the Brandon Road project designed to stop them.

The post Construction to Begin on Brandon Road Invasive Carp Barrier appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/12/construction-to-begin-on-brandon-road-invasive-carp-barrier/

New Targeting Strategies to Fight Algal Blooms

On: July 30, 2024

In: invasive carp

Tom Zimnicki, Agriculture & Restoration Policy Director

This August marks the 10-year anniversary of when residents of Toledo, Ohio awoke to urgent warnings not to drink or use their tap water. Half a million people were unable to drink their water, cook with it, or brush their teeth. The cause? Toxins from a harmful algal bloom growing in Lake Erie.

Fueled by nutrient pollution, largely from agriculture, and exacerbated by climate change, toxic algal blooms are a growing threat across America. Chronic blooms persist on Lake Erie and are now appearing on all Great Lakes – which contain 22% of the world’s supply of fresh surface water.

What can be done to stop the spread of toxic algal blooms?

One approach has been to spend government funds at both the state and federal levels on farm-level conservation practices. These initiatives aim to stem the deluge of nitrogen and phosphorous – the two main components of farm fertilizer that fuel blooms – from entering the lakes.

Despite years of work and hundreds of millions in taxpayer funds spent, that approach has largely failed. In 2015, the governors of Michigan and Ohio pledged to reduce phosphorus runoff to Lake Erie by 40% in ten years. It is widely understood by all parties with an interest in cleaning up algal blooms that we will not meet those reduction targets by a wide margin. Alliance for the Great Lakes research shows that farm conservation measures in Ohio and Michigan are woefully underfunded and that despite years of investment, adoption rates of conservation practices are still far behind where they need to be. The current approach – inadequate funding and not enough farms following best practices – is failing to protect our water.

Given the magnitude of the problem and the inadequate funding, states must prioritize and target funding to the highest priority fields and the most cost-efficient practices. In partnership with the engineers and scientists at LimnoTech, and with guidance from Michigan’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, we’ve developed tools aimed at improving our ability to reduce phosphorus loads from five priority subwatersheds feeding Lake Erie and ultimately Michigan’s entire portion of the Western Lake Erie Basin.

Over the past two years, we developed a two-pronged approach to aid in nutrient reduction planning in Michigan. First, we created maps that help identify possible priority fields for conservation implementation based on field characteristics in a subset of Michigan’s portion of the Western Lake Erie Basin. These maps are not intended to definitively identify fields that are losing phosphorus. Their utility exists as a starting point for outreach efforts to the agriculture community. Second, the report lays out a methodology and rationale for targeting efforts in one area over another.

Traditionally, state and federal agencies have funded conservation implementation without prioritizing locations. By identifying fields that are most at risk of losing phosphorus, and by giving the state and agencies tools to prioritize outreach efforts, we aim to make a bigger impact using the limited funds available. Our analysis also identifies the cost and acres of conservation practices necessary to meet the phosphorus targets that Michigan and Ohio agreed to in 2015.

Understanding current water quality in the subwatersheds of the Western Lake Erie Basin is critical for making informed decisions on future conservation spending. Earlier this year the Alliance, in partnership with LimnoTech and Michigan State University’s Institute of Water Research, launched a five-year water quality monitoring effort in the headwaters of the Western Lake Erie Basin. This monitoring is funded through the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development ($4.86M) and the Erb Family Foundation ($600,000). The investment from the Department is its largest in water quality monitoring. Sensors will be deployed that will measure nutrient pollution in real time, and the results of this monitoring can be used to further understand where interventions can have the biggest impact in keeping water clean. While this work is focused in Michigan, we believe the methodology is transferable throughout the Great Lakes region.

We hope that state agencies can use this information to better prioritize how they spend their limited time and money. If an agency can start moving towards a more targeted approach to spending money, more of our water will be protected and states will move closer to meeting their existing commitments.

Downstream Water Users Bear Financial Burden of Upstream Pollution

Ohioans across the state are struggling to afford their water and sewer bills. Our 2022 study shows that water bills are pushed even higher for communities that pull their drinking water from Lake Erie due to harmful algal blooms caused by upstream agricultural pollution.

The post New Targeting Strategies to Fight Algal Blooms appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/07/new-targeting-strategies-to-fight-algal-blooms/

Historic Win for the Great Lakes: Invasive Carp Barrier Gets Final OK

On: July 1, 2024

In: invasive carp

Joel Brammeier, President & CEO

I write today with big news. For more than a decade, we’ve been working with scientists, advocates, federal agencies, and elected officials to prevent invasive carp in the Mississippi River from entering Lake Michigan. I’m thrilled to let you know that the Brandon Road project – a series of barriers on the Des Plaines River to stop silver and bighead carp from reaching the Great Lakes – is now set to begin construction. This couldn’t have happened without you.

As of today, the state of Illinois and the state of Michigan signed a final project agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to get shovels in the ground as soon as January.

This project is a decade in the making and is a major priority for the Alliance for the Great Lakes.

Invasive silver and bighead carp have already wreaked havoc on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, out-competing native fish for food and injuring people who recreate on the rivers. By using a series of measures designed to stop the carp, the Brandon Road project will act as the choke point to stop them from reaching Lake Michigan. The fish threaten the economic health of the Great Lakes’ $7 billion commercial and sport fishing industry, its $16 billion recreational boating industry, and the entire Great Lakes ecosystem.

This historic agreement wouldn’t have happened without you. Thank you for advocating for the lakes, contacting your elected officials, supporting us with your donations, and being a part of the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Together, we’ve been leading efforts to stop invasive carp for more than a decade. We released a groundbreaking report, advocated before Congress, negotiated with industry and elected officials, informed feasibility studies, helped secure federal and state funding, and more. Through it all, we kept up the pressure.

I’d also like to thank Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer as well as U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Debbie Stabenow and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their leadership to make this project happen and ensure the Great Lakes are protected.

I hope you’ll join me in taking a moment to celebrate this historic win for the lakes.

Tell Congress: Keep Up the Momentum to Stop Invasive Carp

Invasive carp pose a serious threat to our Great Lakes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is ready to start building a critical project to prevent them from reaching Lake Michigan.

Take Action

The post Historic Win for the Great Lakes: Invasive Carp Barrier Gets Final OK appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/07/historic-win-for-the-great-lakes-invasive-carp-barrier-gets-final-ok/

Historic Agreement Signed to Keep Invasive Carp Out of the Great Lakes

On: July 1, 2024

In: invasive carp

Chicago, IL (July 1, 2024) – Today, a coalition of environmental, conservation, and advocacy groups celebrated the announcement that Illinois Governor Pritzker, Michigan Governor Whitmer and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) signed a historic Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) to begin construction on the Brandon Road Project to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes.

The thousands of businesses that rely on the Great Lakes for their livelihoods owe Governor Pritzker and Governor Whitmer, and their staff, a debt of gratitude for this historic agreement. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) also tirelessly worked to ensure the Brandon Road project moved forward and that the Great Lakes are protected. Appreciation for the agreement should also be shared with the Army Corp for shepherding the project through the planning and design stage, and the Biden Administration for providing significant funding for the first phase of construction through the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act.

Advocates, some of whom have been pushing for the project since the early 2000s, hailed the milestone agreement to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes.

“By signing the agreement, Governor Pritzker and Governor Witmer cemented their legacies as strong defenders of the Great Lakes. Invasive carp are poised to wreak havoc on Lake Michigan, and because of their actions, we now have the chance to stop them at Brandon Road,” said Molly Flanagan, Alliance for the Great Lakes Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Programs.

“The signing of the Brandon Road Project Agreement is historic and will help protect our fishery, our economy and quality of life.” said Marc Smith, policy director with National Wildlife Federation. “Keeping invasive carp out of the Great Lakes is a national priority. We applaud Illinois Governor Pritzker for his leadership in working with Michigan Governor Whitmer, all the Great Lakes states, the U.S. Congress and the Biden Administration in finalizing this project.”

“The signing of this agreement to advance the Brandon Road Project marks a proud and historic day for Great Lakes communities,” said Mayor Leon Rockingham, Jr., Mayor of the City of North Chicago, IL and member of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative. “I commend Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for leading the charge against the threat of invasive carp, securing the best possible financial arrangement for the State of Illinois, and protecting the blue economy on which our shoreline communities depend.”

“We commend Governors Pritzker and Whitmer for working together and with federal partners to advance the Brandon Road project to help keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes and thereby avoid a potential ecological and economic disaster,” said Howard Learner, Executive Director at the Environmental Law & Policy Center.

“We applaud Governor Pritzker and the State of Illinois for reaching this critical agreement with the State of Michigan to protect our priceless shared asset, Lake Michigan,” said Jack Darin, Director of the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter. “This agreement starts work on a major defense for Lake Michigan against invasive species, and we urge all parties to move as quickly as possible to protect our precious Great Lakes.”

“We are grateful to Governor Pritzker for continuing to exercise environmental leadership in prioritizing the long-term health and vitality of our most critical ecosystems and economic drivers like Lake Michigan,” said Jen Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council. “Together, we can protect the future of our Great Lakes for generations to come.”

###

Contact: Don Carr, Media Director, Alliance for the Great Lakes, dcarr@greatlakes.org

More about Invasive Carp

Read more about the invasive carp approaching Lake Michigan and the Brandon Road project designed to stop them.

The post Historic Agreement Signed to Keep Invasive Carp Out of the Great Lakes appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/07/historic-agreement-signed-to-keep-invasive-carp-out-of-the-great-lakes/

Illinois Must Act Now To Keep Invasive Carp out of the Great Lakes

On: June 11, 2024

In: invasive carp

Chicago, IL (June 11, 2024) – A diverse group of stakeholders from the conservation and environmental community, labor, and local government held a press conference today to discuss the invasive carp that are located less than 50 miles from Lake Michigan.

These ecosystem-destroying fish pose a severe threat to the economic health of the Great Lakes, specifically the region’s $7 billion commercial and sport fishing industry and its $16 billion recreational boating industry. For that reason, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has identified building additional structural measures at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois as the most feasible way to prevent the upstream migration of invasive carp.

The only remaining action required for Brandon Road project construction to begin is for the State of Illinois to sign the Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The PPA must be agreed to by June 30th so that the project construction can take advantage of a planned lock closure in the river at Lockport Lock near Brandon Road and move forward to construction later this year.

In the press conference, stakeholders encouraged Illinois Governor Pritzker to cement his legacy as a strong champion of the Great Lakes by signing an agreement with the federal government to advance the Brandon Road project. This important step would unlock millions of dollars in federal investments, allowing construction to begin in early 2025, bringing good-paying jobs to Illinois, and preventing invasive carp from harming the Great Lakes’ ecological vitality and blue economy.

“Local 150 urges the Army Corps of Engineers and the State of Illinois to sign the Project Partnership Agreement as soon as possible. We stand ready to support this endeavor, and we are eager to see it progress to construction, bringing with it jobs, environmental protection, and a stronger future for our region,” said Kristine Kavanagh, Communications Director at International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.

“Governor Pritzker should be commended for his steadfast support of the Brandon Road Project to date, including his work with Governor Whitmer of Michigan to secure a combined $114 million in state funding for the project’s construction phase,” said Mayor Billy McKinney of Zion, Illinois, a former chair of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

“By signing the Project Partnership Agreement by June 30, Governor Pritzker would be demonstrating both good stewardship of our freshwater resources and good stewardship of taxpayer dollars by avoiding any unnecessary cost increases,” Mayor McKinney added.

“We must stop the spread of destructive invasive carp before it is too late. By signing the PPA, Illinois Governor Pritzker has the opportunity to secure his legacy as not just a champion of the Great Lakes, but also a critical interstate partner with the state of Michigan,” said Jennifer Walling, Executive Director at the Illinois Environmental Council.

###

Contact: Don Carr, Media Director, Alliance for the Great Lakes, dcarr@greatlakes.org

More about Invasive Carp

Read more about the invasive carp approaching Lake Michigan and the Brandon Road project designed to stop them.

The post Illinois Must Act Now To Keep Invasive Carp out of the Great Lakes appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/06/illinois-must-act-now-to-keep-invasive-carp-out-of-the-great-lakes/

Time is running out to keep invasive carp out of Lake Michigan

On: March 8, 2024

In: invasive carp

This opinion piece was first published by the Chicago Sun-Times.

By Molly Flanagan, COO & Vice President for Programs

While Illinois didn’t bring ecosystem-destroying invasive carp to the United States, the state is setting itself up for the blame if the voracious fish overrun the Great Lakes.

Just after Thanksgiving last year, when all of us were still too full to eat another bite, almost a million pounds of hungry invasive carp were pulled from the Illinois River in just one day. Using the Illinois River and other waterways to expand their territory, invasive carp pose a significant threat to the ecological and economic health of Lake Michigan.

Invasive carp have already wreaked havoc on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. They cause serious damage to native fish populations when they invade lakes and rivers because they out-compete other fish for food. They jump into the air, posing the risk of serious injury to people and making infested waters off-limits to boating. Great Lakes’ communities and industries would be deeply harmed if Invasive carp get into the Great Lakes and its tributaries and inland lakes.

Invasive carp are located less than 50 miles from Lake Michigan. With no known predators once they are past the juvenile stage, these fish pose a severe threat to the economic health of the Great Lakes, specifically the region’s $7 billion commercial and sport fishing industry and its $16 billion recreational boating industry.

For that reason, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) has identified building additional structural measures at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet as the most feasible way to prevent the upstream migration of invasive carp. By using a series of measures designed to stymie invasive carp, the Brandon Road project will act as the choke point to stop invasive carp from traveling from the Mississippi River Basin into the Great Lakes.

The $1.3 billion project is scheduled to begin construction in October of 2024. That’s good news, because those nearly million pounds of carp taken in one day — the same amount harvested in all of 2022 — are amassed only two locks down from Brandon Road. The bad news is that there’s a huge obstacle to building the defenses at Brandon Road: the state of Illinois.

Michigan and Illinois have agreed to pay $114 million, the entire amount required from local partners, for construction of the project. The federal government has $274 million on hand ready to spend to complete design and engineering, and for the first increment of construction. The project is ready to start once Illinois signs the Project Partnership Agreement with the Army Corps. The state’s manageable concerns about the project have been the subject of seemingly endless delays, even as the state of Michigan has come forward cash in hand and the feds are ready to break ground.

For every month that Illinois does not sign the agreement with the Army Corps, more time is lost. And time is running out to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes. Luckily, the state of Michigan is patiently waiting as a willing partner to move Brandon Road forward. All Illinois needs to do to is to say yes to the partnership. Surely the strongest protection for our Great Lakes after a decade of planning is enough of a reason for Illinois to sign on the line.

Keep Invasive Carp Out of Lake Michigan

Learn more about the Brandon Road Lock & Dam project and keeping invasive carp out of the Great Lakes.

Learn More

The post Time is running out to keep invasive carp out of Lake Michigan appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/03/time-is-running-out-to-keep-invasive-carp-out-of-lake-michigan/

Complicated Crops: Agriculture is a major economic engine in the Great Lakes, and poses the greatest threat to their waters

On: October 4, 2023

In: invasive carp, invasive species, Invasive species in ballast water

For our Diving Deep for Solutions series, we commissioned author and journalist Kari Lydersen to examine big issues facing the lakes today and how our expert team at the Alliance for the Great Lakes is growing to meet the moment.

In 2014, harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie contaminated Toledo’s water system, leaving residents without clean drinking water and leaders scrambling to deal with the public health emergency. It was a symbol of the greatest water pollution threat facing big swathes of the Great Lakes region, even after hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on mitigation efforts sparked by the Lake Erie crisis.

A hand covered with algae from the 2014 western Lake Erie algal bloom.

Agriculture is one of the major industries and employers in the Great Lakes basin, producing more than $15 billion in livestock and crops per year. But with current farming methods, the ecosystem can’t handle the massive amounts of runoff from fertilizer – manure and chemical – which pollutes waterways with phosphorus and nitrogen that feed algae blooms. These algal blooms can become toxic – which we have observed in Lake Erie – and can also create “dead zones” by robbing water of oxygen when algae decays.

The problem will only get worse with climate change, which is expected to cause more severe rains and warmer temperatures, meaning more runoff and conditions even more conducive to algal blooms. Meanwhile climate change is also expected to increase the intensity of agriculture in the region, as the growing season gets longer and new crops can be grown further north than before. Pesticide and herbicide use is also expected to increase due to shifting pest pressures linked to climate change. Increased usage of these products may lead to additional surface and groundwater pollution.

Hence, there is no time to waste in addressing the crisis of agricultural pollution in the Great Lakes. The Alliance for the Great Lakes has long been a leader on this issue, including in pushing for the agreement between Michigan, Ohio and Ontario, Canada to reduce phosphorus runoff into Lake Erie by 40% by 2025.

Voluntary measures fail to create significant progress; more aggressive and holistic approach is needed for Lake Erie

It is clear that ambitious target won’t be met, and the Alliance and others are demanding more aggressive policy and a more holistic approach to the crisis.

Tom Zimnicki, Alliance Agriculture and Restoration Policy Director, noted that the agencies involved in the Lake Erie agreement “would be hard-pressed to identify any kind of quantifiable reductions that have been made from agricultural sources” in phosphorus pollution, despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent, mostly to pay farmers to voluntarily implement practices meant to curb runoff, like foregoing tilling, planting grass near waterways, and planting cover crops.

“We haven’t really seen voluntary programs work anywhere,” said Sara Walling, Clean Wisconsin’s Water and Agriculture Program Director, formerly the Alliance’s Senior Policy Manager for Agriculture and Restoration. “That’s not specific to the Great Lakes, it’s a fallacy everywhere. We’re just throwing money at the problem without accountability to make sure practices are implemented correctly, that they actually function as intended to, and are maintained over time.”

The failure to make significant progress through voluntary measures and incentives underscores the need for federal action on agricultural pollution. This includes regulating farm runoff as a point source of pollution – in the same way releases from factories or power plants are regulated.

“Every other industry has standards around pollution prevention and risk mitigation for impacts to human health,” said Zimnicki. “Agriculture shouldn’t be any different. There are nuances to agriculture that make it more complicated than just saying, ‘Here is this manufacturing facility, let’s control what is coming out of that pipe.’ But there are things we can be looking at.”

In 2019, Ohio adopted a program known as “H2Ohio” to reduce nutrient pollution and address other water quality issues. Alliance Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement Crystal Davis was part of the technical assistance program for the effort. Davis – who is based in Cleveland – noted that there are multiple measures that could be adopted to quantify phosphorus in waterways, rather than just hoping best practices will reduce pollution.

“There’s edge-of-field monitoring, smart buoys in the water that can tell you how much pollution is in our waterways, we have a myriad of options,” she said.

Following a federal lawsuit, Ohio was required to develop a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for phosphorus – or “a pollution diet” as Zimnicki put it – for the Maumee River, a major tributary of Lake Erie. In September, U.S. EPA approved Ohio’s TMDL, however the plan lacks important conditions needed to improve water quality goals.

Environmental injustice: Downstream water users pay the price for pollution generated upstream

Not only does agricultural pollution pose a major economic and ecological threat to the region, it also can lead to environmental injustices. In the case of the Western Basin of Lake Erie, downstream ratepayers in Toledo bear the brunt of the health and financial impacts of agricultural pollution despite most of that pollution being generated upstream. The financial impacts of pollution exacerbate an ongoing water affordability crisis for lower-income residents of the City.

How much extra does a family of 5 in Toledo pay in their water bills due to upstream pollution? Almost $100 extra!

As the Alliance documented in Ohio, low-income customers struggle to pay a disproportionate amount of their income for water, and are especially burdened when pollution necessitates more infrastructure investments – that are billed to customers, or when they need to buy bottled water because the tap water isn’t safe.

“We don’t have adequate representation from impacted and downstream communities,” noted Davis. “Equitable stakeholder engagement is paramount to the development of a strong plan that holds polluters accountable while making significant progress on phosphorus reduction goals,” Davis said.

A recent study by the Alliance for the Great Lakes and Ohio Environmental Council found that to achieve Lake Erie water quality targets, Michigan would need to increase funding by $40 to $65 million a year and Ohio by $170 to $250 million per year, on top of current spending. Such funding should also be secured long-term, rather than subject to approval in every budget cycle, the report emphasized.

Federal laws offer opportunities to regulate runoff

The Farm Bill and federal pollution laws like the Clean Water Act offer opportunities to regulate agricultural runoff. Some farmers are encouraged to use riskier and more polluting practices since crop insurance covers their losses. Mandates and incentives for runoff reduction could be built into crop insurance, Alliance experts note. Walling said that’s especially appropriate since the government pays for federal crop insurance costs.

Farm field next to Maumee River, photo by Lloyd DeGrane

“We as the public should be expecting more payback, if you will,” she said. “Not in actual dollars but in more environmental responsibility from the recipients. That’s not happening now.”

The federal government has the biggest role to play in restructuring things like crop insurance, farm subsidies and pollution-related mandates. Especially given the political and economic significance of farming in the Great Lakes states, the states “do need the federal government to come in with a heavier hand and give them a ‘thou shall’ rather than a ‘please,’” said Zimnicki.

The Alliance emphasizes that it is in farmers’ best interest to curb agricultural pollution and protect the Great Lakes, as well as their own bottom lines. And along with mandates, government support is crucial.

“Most farmers do want to leave the land in better shape than the day they took it over,” said Walling. “But there isn’t as much technical support available to help them. Even if something like planting cover crops is shown to benefit their long-term profitability, there’s a cost to making that change: buying that cover crop seed, planting it, changes in their yields as they work out the kinks. Their profit margins are so small, they can’t internalize those costs.”

Farmers and community leaders push change for Green Bay

Green Bay in Wisconsin has also faced severe nutrient pollution from farming and algal blooms that harm the tourism and sport-fishing that is so popular in the region, including Wisconsin’s beloved Door County.

Cows grazing in a field. Photo credit Lloyd Degrade.

“The entire economy is built around tourism, and access to the lake is the central piece,” said Walling. “Not having solid water quality is going to continue to affect the economic engine.”

In the Fox River basin that feeds Green Bay, many farmers and community leaders have joined the effort to reduce runoff through voluntary measures and educating their peers. Farmers using sustainable practices invite colleagues to tour their farms and learn.

“We’ve seen a lot of good buy-in,” said Walling. “They’re going above and beyond in their conservation, and also being that mouthpiece, inviting other agricultural producers onto their farms, to share information to try to generate more comfort across the agricultural community.”

How to make our region a leader in agricultural practices that protect clean water

Ultimately, farming in the Great Lakes isn’t going anywhere, so the way we farm has to change for the lakes and people to stay healthy. This issue won’t be solved by cracking down on a few bad actors, but by making the Great Lakes a leader in agriculture that actually protects clean water.

As Walling, Zimnicki and other Alliance leaders noted, concrete steps to achieving this goal include:

Requiring that funding for agricultural best-management practices to reduce phosphorus is tied to reducing phosphorus entering waterways. This means farmers aren’t just paid to adopt certain practices, but instead paid for actually reducing phosphorus runoff.
Instituting a robust network for water quality monitoring in Lake Erie’s Western Basin.
Utilizing the Farm Bill to fully fund conservation programs and provide technical assistance for farmers.
Securing stable streams of state funding for conservation and enforcement and ensuring state-level permits, particularly those for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), provide more rigorous standards for waste management – especially in already impaired watersheds.

These actions and more will be the focus of the Alliance’s federal and state advocacy agendas to reduce agricultural pollution over the next five years.

“The private agriculture sector needs to step up and demonstrate that it is able to operate without polluting our drinking water, just as other industries are required to do,” said Brammeier. “

“Ultimately, companies in the agricultural supply and distribution chain need to acknowledge that clean water is a critical measure of whether they are operating sustainably. The health of the Great Lakes can’t be an afterthought.”

Give a Gift – Protect the Great Lakes

Your gift will protect our region’s most precious resource: the fresh, clean, and natural waters of the Great Lakes.

Donate Today

The post Complicated Crops: Agriculture is a major economic engine in the Great Lakes, and poses the greatest threat to their waters appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2023/10/complicated-crops-agriculture-is-a-major-economic-engine-in-the-great-lakes-and-poses-the-greatest-threat-to-their-waters/

An Ounce of Prevention: Keeping New Invasive Species Out of the Great Lakes

On: August 16, 2023

In: invasive carp, invasive species, Invasive species in ballast water

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” notes Alliance for the Great Lakes Vice President for Policy Molly Flanagan.

The old adage is often cited in regards to invasive species, and a good example is the $1 billion-plus of federal and state dollars proposed to keep invasive carp from advancing into Lake Michigan – “even if it costs a lot,” Flanagan continued.

“You’re talking about fishing industries worth $7 billion a year, recreational boating worth $16 billion a year, and you’re protecting a lot of different economies that equal much more than that,” Flanagan continued.

Years of advocacy advance efforts to block invasive carp

Thanks to years of advocacy by the Alliance and our partners, the federal government has upped the portion it is willing to pay for constructing barriers to block the voracious invasive carp, at Brandon Road Lock and Dam on the Des Plaines River southwest of Chicago.

Design of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project as of May 31, 2023. Credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Last year through the Water Resources Development Act, the federal government agreed to pick up 90% of a tab estimated at $1.5 billion, if states will pay the rest. Previously, the federal government had planned to pay 65%.

The new plan means Great Lakes states must pay about $115 million total. This year Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer proposed $64 million in the state budget, and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker proposed $50 million. Both budgets passed state legislatures.

To move the deal forward, the state of Illinois still needs to sign an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“We’ve been putting forth a simple message: Illinois needs to sign the agreement,” said Flanagan. “Any delay risks delaying the project. We can’t afford that because we’re in a race against the clock to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes.”

Advocates race against the clock to defend fishing , recreational boating

Invasive carp jump into the air. Photo by U.S. Geological Survey.

The planned barrier includes a bubble curtain, electric barrier, acoustic deterrents and a flushing lock. Pre-construction work is underway thanks to close to $10 million already committed by Illinois and Michigan.

“It’s a really positive development in terms of Michigan and Illinois working together,” Flanagan said. “All the states are coming to the table to talk about the carp issue and try to problem-solve. They haven’t all committed money, but it’s another good example of how our region collaborates.”

Ironically, the crystal-clear water that many appreciate in Lake Michigan is the result of previous invaders that colonized the lakes – zebra mussels and quagga mussels.

“They’re filtering out the bottom of the food web, with dramatic impacts,” said Flanagan. “The water is so clear but that’s not necessarily a good thing – there’s [almost] nothing left in the water for other fish to eat. If invasive carp get in, they’ll also feed on the base of the food web.” That would be especially damaging to plankton-rich places like western Lake Erie and Green Bay.

And that’s not to mention another likely impact of one of several threatening species of invasive carp – the “flying” silver carp, as Flanagan said, known for jumping violently out of the water when agitated by boat engines.

This behavior makes infested rivers too risky for boaters. “That would hammer the recreational economy in the region. Who wants to boat on the Chicago or Kalamazoo River if carps are flying at you?”

Ballast water regulations are crucial for both “lakers” and ocean ships

An ocean ship enters the Great Lakes from the St. Lawrence Seaway.

While invasive carp are advancing from the Mississippi River, where they’ve devastated the ecosystem and recreation, more invasives have historically come via ships plying the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Ocean ships take in ballast in freshwater and brackish ports around the globe, including live organisms, and empty it when they’ve reached destinations and need to take on cargo in the Great Lakes. For years advocates from around the country, including the Alliance, have demanded stricter regulations on ballast water. While ocean ships now have to install treatment technology, unfortunately, EPA’s latest draft rules missed the mark.

“Ship-borne invasive species cost the Great Lakes Region alone at least $200 million dollars every year,” says a 2020 comment on the proposed EPA rules by the Alliance and other organizations. “This is a dire problem that must be solved.”

But “lakers” – ships that stay within the Great Lakes – are exempt from the draft rules, even though they also transport ballast and organisms in it between the lakes as they carry ore, salt and other commodities. Hence the EPA should include lakers in its ballast water rule just as Canada has, and finalize the rule, the Alliance says.

“We need to keep pressure on the EPA to regulate lakers,” Flanagan said. “This is critical to protecting the Great Lakes from invasive species.”

Meanwhile the rules are not as strict as advocates have demanded, since they don’t require best available treatment technology for ballast, like advanced ultraviolet radiation systems, and they don’t prohibit ships taking on ballast in areas that are polluted by algae or sewage.

Winning new protections while acknowledging a legacy of damage

Alliance President & CEO Joel Brammeier called the battle against invasives a “mature” struggle – one where the Alliance and other advocates are winning substantial new protections but where the Great Lakes have suffered permanent damage that can never be reversed.

Few invasive species have been introduced in recent years, thanks to prevention protocols and spending urged by the Alliance and other players. But continued vigilance is needed to deal with the nearly 200 harmful invasive species already in the Great Lakes, and the threat of new ones like invasive carp.

“We need to continually invest in prevention and control and never let that slide,” Brammeier said. “Our lakes have suffered enough, and I believe people across the region understand the importance of not going backward.”

Meanwhile the debate on ballast speaks to larger changes in economic priorities for the Great Lakes. Great Lakes shipping is still a booming industry credited for generating $35 billion in economic activity a year, while Great Lakes residents, cities and states are increasingly prioritizing the recreational and ecological value of the lakes.

“Our region missed the boat by letting invasive species in the lakes in the first place. That’s a tough lesson,” Brammeier said. “But it compels us to ask tough questions about every industry that wants to use the lakes. And everyone is going to have to demonstrate it can do so sustainably, because Great Lakers understand the risks better than most.”

Give a Gift – Protect the Great Lakes

Your gift will protect our region’s most precious resource: the fresh, clean, and natural waters of the Great Lakes.

Donate Today

The post An Ounce of Prevention: Keeping New Invasive Species Out of the Great Lakes appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2023/08/an-ounce-of-prevention-keeping-new-invasive-species-out-of-the-great-lakes/

Nearly $1.2 billion spent at one site to deter invasive carp from Great Lakes; other entry sites still possible

On: July 12, 2023

In: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Collaboration, environment, Fish, Birds and Animals, Illinois, invasive carp, invasive species, Latest News, Michigan, News, Science, Technology, Research

Nearly $1.2 billion spent at one site to deter invasive carp from Great Lakes; other entry sites still possible

By Vladislava Sukhanovskaya, Circle of Blue

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/1-2-billion-spent-one-site-deter-invasive-carp-great-lakes-other-entry-sites-possible/

Circle of Blue

Michigan & Illinois Funding Is Welcome Step toward Construction of Invasive Carp Barrier

On: June 30, 2023

In: invasive carp

Chicago, IL (June 30, 2023) – This week the Michigan legislature approved $64 million in the appropriations bill for fiscal year 2024 to help fund construction of the Brandon Road project designed to keep invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes. When combined with the $50 million approved by Illinois, these funds cover the $114 million required for the local cost share. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also has $226 million available, which is enough federal funding to complete preconstruction, engineering and design and pay the federal share for the first year of construction. However, the state of Illinois still needs to sign a Project Partnership Agreement with the Corps to unlock these federal funds and keep the project moving.

Established populations of invasive carp are only 50 miles from Chicago and Lake Michigan, and earlier this month a bighead carp weighing 109 pounds was caught during the Upper Illinois Waterway’s Invasive Carp control program near Morris, Ill. That was after a 90-pound fish was caught just a day before.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes COO and Vice President for Programs Molly Flanagan said:

“Invasive carp pose a serious threat to the ecological health of the Great Lakes and the people and economies these waters support, including the region’s $7 billion fishing and $16 billion recreational boating industries.

We are pleased that Michigan and Illinois have joined together to fund the local share of the Brandon Road project designed to keep Invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes. All the local funding is now in place to pay for the construction of the project. We urge the state of Illinois to sign the Project Partnership Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as soon as possible so that this critical work can continue uninterrupted.”

###

Media contact: Please connect with our media team at TeamGreatLakes@mrss.com.

More About Invasive Carp

Check out our recent updates on the fight against invasive carp.

Learn More

The post Michigan & Illinois Funding Is Welcome Step toward Construction of Invasive Carp Barrier appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2023/06/michigan-illinois-funding-is-welcome-step-toward-construction-of-invasive-carp-barrier/

Illinois, feds grapple with agreement that would advance billion dollar plan to stop invasive carp

On: June 2, 2023

In: Asian carp, Authors, Chicago, Feature Homepage, Gary Wilson, Illinois, invasive carp, invasive species, Lake Michigan, Latest News, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice

Illinois, feds grapple with agreement that would advance billion dollar plan to stop invasive carp

The first efforts to stop the advance of invasive carp to the Great Lakes began in the early 2000s when electrical barriers in the Chicago Area Waterway System leading to Lake Michigan were thought to be a deterrent.

The fear was that if the voracious carp entered the lake, they could expand their range, wipe out the food supply and eventually devastate the multi-billion dollar Great Lakes fishery.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/06/illinois-feds-grapple-agreement-advance-billion-dollar-plan-stop-invasive-carp/

Gary Wilson

Congress Builds Momentum to Stop Invasive Carp

On: December 16, 2022

In: invasive carp

Congress – on a bipartisan vote – has passed legislation that continues strong momentum to stop invasive carp from reaching Lake Michigan.

Invasive carp pose a serious threat to the Great Lakes. Silver and bighead carp have already wreaked havoc on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, out-competing native fish for food and injuring people who recreate on the rivers. The invasive fish are steadily spreading upstream toward Lake Michigan.

Prevention measures in design

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun designing a critical project to stop invasive carp from reaching Lake Michigan. The Corps is designing new carp prevention measures to install at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Illinois, a chokepoint in waterways leading to Lake Michigan.

In the bill just passed, Congress increased the federal cost-share – which is how much the federal government will chip in for this critical project – to 90%. This commitment shows that Congress and the Administration recognize that the invasive carp moving toward Lake Michigan threaten the entire Great Lakes region.

By increasing the federal cost-share to 90%, Congress will help accelerate the project from design to construction.

Next steps for Illinois

The state of Illinois must take 2 important steps to keep this critical project moving forward:

Illinois must sign an agreement with the Corps by the end of the year to keep the project on schedule.
It’s time for Illinois to step up and work collaboratively with other Great Lakes states to fund the local portion of the construction phase of the project and keep invasive carp out of the lakes.

“Thank you to all the Great Lake advocates and members of Congress who are working to keep invasive carp out of our lakes,” says Molly Flanagan, Chief Operating Officer, Alliance for the Great Lakes. “We look forward to working with Illinois and other Great Lakes states to ensure the local share is funded.”

The post Congress Builds Momentum to Stop Invasive Carp appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2022/12/congress-builds-momentum-to-stop-invasive-carp/

From ‘carp’ to ‘copi’: unpopular fish getting a makeover

On: June 23, 2022

In: AP, Asian carp, Chicago, Feature Homepage, fish, Fish, Birds and Animals, Illinois, invasive carp, invasive species, Lake Michigan, Michigan, News, Science, Technology, Research

From ‘carp’ to ‘copi’: unpopular fish getting a makeover

By John Flesher, Associated Press

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — You’re in the mood for fish and your server suggests a dish of invasive carp. Ugh, you might say. But how about broiled copi, fresh from the Mississippi River?

Here’s the catch: They’re the same thing.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/ap-unpopular-fish-getting-makeover/

The Associated Press

With new invasive carp money, the Great Lakes learns from past invasions

On: March 14, 2022

In: Asian carp, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, invasive carp, invasive species, Latest News, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Protect, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts

With new invasive carp money, the Great Lakes learns from past invasions

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/invasive-carp-money-great-lakes/

Bridge Michigan

U.S. Army Corps directs millions to Great Lakes coastal resiliency, Soo Locks and invasive carp barrier

On: January 20, 2022

In: Asian carp, Budget, Feature Homepage, Illinois, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, invasive carp, invasive species, Latest News, Michigan, Natasha Blakely, News, soo locks

U.S. Army Corps directs millions to Great Lakes coastal resiliency, Soo Locks and invasive carp barrier

The project to construct a new Soo Lock has been fully funded as of Wednesday, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its Fiscal Year 2022 budget, which included $479 million directed to the new lock.

“In Michigan, we know how vital the Locks are to our economy and our national defense,” Sen.

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/army-corps-millions-great-lakes-coastal-resiliency-soo-locks-invasive-carp/

Natasha Blakely

Worries over racism, waterways inspire push to rename fish

On: July 16, 2021

In: AP, Asian carp, Feature Homepage, Illinois, invasive carp, invasive species, Latest News, Minnesota, News

Worries over racism, waterways inspire push to rename fish

By John Flesher, AP Environmental Writer

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Minnesota state Sen. Foung Hawj was never a fan of the “Asian carp” label commonly applied to four imported fish species that are wreaking havoc in the U.S. heartland, infesting numerous rivers and bearing down on the Great Lakes.