Michigan signs new agreement to protect invasive carp

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced a new agreement this week to prevent invasive carp from reaching Lake Michigan.

Environmentalists and politicians have been concerned for years about what would happen if invasive carp species from the Mississippi River basin migrated into Lake Michigan.

The solution, they hope, is a billion-dollar-plus project on the Des Plaines River, about 30 miles from Chicago, to deter the fish. The Brandon Road Interbasin Project would accomplish this through a series of electrical, acoustic and other deterrents.

“The Great Lakes are the beating heart of Michigan’s economy, and Brandon Road will help us protect local communities and key industries like fishing and boatbuilding that support tens of thousands of good-paying jobs,” Whitmer said in a press release.

The announced deal with Illinois and the US Army Corps of Engineers will provide a total of $114 million between the two states for the first phase of the project.

Michigan has already contributed its share of $64 million for a feasibility study and initial construction, and the agreement will free up hundreds of millions in federal funds to get the project underway.