Evidence suggests that two species of invasive carp — silver and bighead — are poised to invade the Great Lakes basin through the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). A federally led Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC) is managing the implementation of short and long-term actions to combat their spread into the Great Lakes basin. An electric dispersal barrier system is the only structural mechanism currently in place to prevent their migration through the CAWS. Extensive monitoring and fish removal efforts, led by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and its federal partners, are important – and so far – successful strategies to reduce the risk of population spread.

In 2012, the Great Lakes Commission and Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative completed a $2 million investigation that developed options for separating the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River basin in the CAWS as a potential long-term solution to the threat of AIS transfer. It also evaluated the costs, impacts, and improvements needed to maintain or enhance beneficial uses of the waterways. As part of the effort, an Advisory Committee was established to secure engagement from stakeholders and public agencies.

The CAWS Advisory Committee continued to meet to review key technical issues and provide input to federal agencies working on the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) and related efforts. The GLMRIS report presented several structural and non-structural alternatives to prevent the transfer of AIS through the CAWS but did not recommend a preferred solution. Following GLMRIS, the Advisory Committee worked to reach consensus on a set of recommendations, which took the form of three letters, to advance progress on this issue. In particular, the committee is closely tracking a feasibility study on establishing a single point to control one-way, upstream AIS transfer (i.e., Mississippi River basin into the Great Lakes basin) near the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Joliet, Illinois.

The CAWS Advisory Committee is the only forum that brings together a diverse spectrum of stakeholders in a structured process to consider and evaluate continued steps toward a feasible plan to protect the Great Lakes from AIS while maintaining the diverse and important functions of the CAWS.

This section contains archived CAWS Aquatic Invasive Species Stakeholder Group meeting information and related materials.

Dec. 14, 2018 webinar on the Army Corps of Engineers Brandon Road Study

Note: The Army Corps of Engineers has extended the review period for the Brandon Road Integrated Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact Statement to February 22, 2019. The report is posted to the project website at https://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/GLMRIS-BR. The end of State & Agency Review has also been extended to February 22, 2018.
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Stakeholder Group Reference Book (password protected page)

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Meeting Materials

December 19, 2018 Meeting

• Agenda (PDF)
• Presentations
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Review of Brandon Road Final Recommended Plan (PDF)
  • Illinois Department of Natural Resources – Illinois Local Sponsor Update (PDF)
  • Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee – 2019 Asian Carp Action Plan Status and Schedule (PDF)
  • Illinois Department of Natural Resources – Asian Carp Update: Monitoring, Management, and Contingency Actions (PDF)
  • U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey – Acoustic Deterrent Systems: Testing New Technologies for Asian Carp Prevention and Control (PDF)
  • U.S. Geological Survey – C02 Field Study Update (PDF)
  • Northeast-Midwest Institute – Update on Federal Regulation Regarding Asian Carp (PDF)

July 26, 2018 Meeting

• Agenda (PDF)
• Presentations
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Brandon Road Update (PDF)
  • Illinois Department of Natural Resources – Illinois Local Sponsor Update (PDF)
  • Northeast-Midwest Institute – Update on Federal Legislation Regarding Asian Carp (PDF)
  • The Nature Conservancy – Lock Treatment System Update (PDF)
  • Michigan Department of Natural Resources – Great Lakes Invasive Carp Challenge (PDF)
  • The Nature Conservancy – Asian Carp Movement in the Illinois River 1990-Present (PDF)
  • Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee – Asian Carp Action Plan Update (PDF)

March 12, 2018 Meeting

• Agenda (PDF, Draft 2-16-2018)
• Presentations

October 25-26, 2017 Meeting

• Agenda (PDF)
• Meeting summary (draft distributed via email)
• Presentations
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Brandon Road Tentatively Selected Plan (PDF)
  • Illinois Department of Natural Resources – Dresden Unified Fishing Event (PDF)

The Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) Advisory Committee initiated its current consensus-building effort in May 2014. Since that time the Committee has met 10 times and released a series of consensus letters to the President and U.S. Congress outlining their recommendations:

• CAWS Advisory Committee letter to President Obama with recommendations on long-term actions (January 2016) (PDF)
• CAWS Advisory Committee letter to President Obama with recommendations on the Brandon Road Feasibility Study (August 2015) (PDF)
• CAWS Advisory Committee letter to the Great Lakes Congressional Delegation with recommendations for short-term actions (August 2014) (PDF)

Technical Reports
Prepared by HDR

As part of the CAWS Advisory Committee process, committee members defined a series of questions and information needs. The below report summarizes the technical investigations conducted by HDR assessing the risk of invasive species transfer and impacts to navigation relative to certain control measures, as well as a high level summary of background information presented to the committee regarding flood risk and water quality, including CSOs and contaminated sediments.

• Summary of Technical Evaluations – November 2015 (PDF)
• Regional Cost Share and Institutional Mechanisms Case Study – April 2016 (PDF)
• Scope Outline of Potential CAWS & Lake Michigan Hydrologic, Hydraulic, and Water Quality Investigation – October 2016 (PDF)

Restoring the Natural Divide: Separating the Great Lakes And Mississippi River Basins in the Chicago Area Waterway System

In 2010, the Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative identified engineering options for Chicago’s waterway system that would prevent interbasin movement of AIS, including Asian carp. The study also examines potential improvements to the waterway’s roles in commercial navigation, recreational boating, flood and stormwater management, and water quality.

• Restoring the Natural Divide Summary Report [PDF]
• Restoring the Natural Divide Technical Report [PDF]