Multistate carp agreement keeps Great Lakes healthy

In a move that will protect the health of Michigan’s water, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed an agreement Thursday that will keep an invasive, destructive species out of our water.

Michigan will provide $8 million in appropriated funds to Illinois, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will use to engineer and design fortifications of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois. Once complete, the site will provide a strong series of blockades to keep invasive carp from entering Michigan waterways.

The Michigan Environmental Council identified constructing Brandon Road protections as part of its 2019 to 2022 Environmental Roadmap for Michigan.

“Gov. Whitmer, working with her colleagues in Illinois and in the U.S. Army Corps, continues to lead the fight to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes,” said Sean Hammond, Environmental Council policy director. “Fortifications to Brandon Road Lock and Dam will keep invasive carp out and protect the quality of our water, ecosystems and recreational fishing experiences. We must continue this push to finish Brandon Road improvements and work to end the threat of these fish reaching the Great Lakes.”

The effort to keep invasive carp away has been years in the making, drawing strong bipartisan support. In-depth studies have shown the Brandon Road Lock and Dam is the ideal space to cinch off the fishes’ entrance into Michigan.

Invasive carp species are found only dozens of miles away from the Great Lakes.