Durbin Meets with Army Corps Officials to Discus Asian Carp Barriers and Chicago Shoreline Project

DURBIN MEETS WITH ARMY CORPS OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS ASIAN CARP BARRIERS AND CHICAGO SHORELINE PROJECT

Thursday, July 27, 2006

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met this week with officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Colonel John Drolet and Brigadier General Bruce Berwick, to discuss recent developments in funding for the Asian Carp barriers and the Chicago Shoreline Project.

"The carp approaching the northern section of the Illinois River and Lake Michigan have no natural predators. This invasive species threatens both the native fish and natural wildlife of the lake and in turn, the economy of the entire Great Lakes region," said Durbin. "The $400,000 we secured in last month's emergency spending bill and the provision approved in the water resources bill earlier this month provide us with both an immediate remedy and a long term solution that will help us avert a potentially devastating situation."

Asian carp threaten the Great Lakes ecosystem because they consume large quantities of phytoplankton, which is critical to the stability of the ecosystem. Originally, they were introduced to the United States as a management tool for aqua culture farms and sewage treatment facilities. The carp have made their way north to the Illinois River after escaping from fish farms during massive flooding along the Mississippi River. Asian carp can grow to an average of four feet and 60 pounds, and can consume up to 40 percent of their body weight in plankton per day.

During the meeting, Durbin discussed the $400,000 recently secured in the emergency spending bill for the Corps of Engineers to address the Asian Carp problem. The funding was included to pay for the operation of Barrier I, a temporary barrier that keeps the invasive species out of the Illinois River and Lake Michigan by emitting an electric current that deters the carp from passing through. Funding to maintain the operation of Barrier I has been almost entirely depleted and the Corps of Engineers indicated that without additional funding they would have to shut down the demonstration barrier. As a member of the conference committee that reconciled the differences between the House and Senate versions of the emergency spending bill, Senator Durbin's efforts were crucial to ensuring that the funding which will maintain operation of the barrier, was kept in the final version of the bill.

Earlier this month, Senators Durbin and Obama also helped to successfully include language in the Water Resources Development Act that passed the Senate to authorize the Corps of Engineers to treat Barriers I and II as one project. In addition, the language authorizes the Corps to upgrade the temporary barrier (Barrier I) into a permanent barrier at federal expense, to finish construction of Barrier II, to conduct a study of options that may reduce the efficacy of the barriers, and to provide credit to those states that contributed to the construction of Barrier II.

"WRDA includes a critical project that protects the Great Lakes ecosystem. Today, the Asian Carp threatens a $4.1 billion sport and commercial fishing industry in the Great Lakes. This legislation recognizes the threat of the Asian Carp by authorizing the permanent operation of the barrier system to prevent these fish from entering the waters of the Great Lakes," Durbin added.

The demonstration barrier in the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal was authorized in 1996 under the National Invasive Species Act to prevent non-native species like the Asian Carp from moving between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes.

During the meeting, Durbin also asked for a progress report on the Chicago Shoreline project. In 1999, Durbin helped negotiate a project cooperation agreement with the Army Corps on the Shoreline project, which provides storm damage protection to the Lake Michigan Shoreline and, in particular, Lake Shore Drive. The existing shoreline structures, built in the early 1900s, have deteriorated and no longer function to protect against storms, flooding and erosion. The Corps reported that the project is nearly 80% complete and they are continuing to work with the City of Chicago and State of Illinois to complete the necessary work.

http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=259844&&