Image copyright US Army Corps of Engineers

The Brandon Road Interbasin Project has moved into the bedrock construction phase, also known as Construction Increment I-A – Leading Edge.

Located near Joliet, Illinois, the Brandon Road Interbasin Project is a critical ecosystem protection effort designed to stop invasive carp and aquatic nuisance species from reaching the Great Lakes using advanced, layered barrier technologies.

Construction Increment I-A is part of a $114 million contract to install acoustic deterrents, the bubble curtain, and automated barge clearing systems to prevent Bigheaded Carp from entering the lake.

Our LMYA Commodore, Tom Dogan, continues to lobby for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding renewal, to ensure the “fortress’ at Brandon Road will remain fully funded through 2030.

Our reporter on the scene, Jim Hubbell, says there is some equipment on a barge, but nothing has been unloaded in the area that has been assigned for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project.

In a related story from Popular Science, wildlife officials in Illinois recently reported that over the last 15 years, 50 million pounds of invasive carp have been removed from the Illinois River, primarily using nets. It is hoped that this will protect the river and lake until more permanent containment structures can be completed. That weight is equivalent to the weight of 5,000 elephants.

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