States, provinces OK plan to protect Great Lakes from carp

ANN ARBOR (AP) — U.S. states and Canadian provinces have endorsed a plan to build up defenses on an Illinois waterway in hopes of keeping invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes.

A resolution issued Wednesday by the region’s eight governors and two premiers supports a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers blueprint for blocking the carps’ path at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois.

The plan would use technology such as underwater loudspeakers, electric cables and air bubble curtains to deter the fish from migrating between the Illinois River and Lake Michigan through Chicago-area waterways.

The resolution urges Congress to appropriate funds for the project, which is expected to cost at least $778 million. It says the region’s states and provinces will support Illinois in its role as co-sponsor.