Army Corps Approves $778M Plan To Block Asian Carp Advance

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TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' commanding officer has endorsed a $778 million plan for upgrading a lock-and-dam complex near Chicago to prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes.

Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite signed the final report Thursday. It now goes to Congress, which would need to give authorization and funding for the project to proceed.

Fish in the Little Calumet River struggle to survive after being poisoned by the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee, which is made up of the Illinois department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and several other organizations May 20, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. Rotenone, a fish toxicant, was used to kill all of the fish in an approximately two-mile stretch of the river. The Committee was killing the fish to search for evidence of Asian Carp in the waterway. Efforts are being made to keep the invasive fish from entering the Great Lakes. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The plan focuses on the Brandon Road Lock and Dam on the Des Plaines River near Joliet, Illinois. It's considered a chokepoint where Asian carp and other invasive species could be prevented from migrating into Lake Michigan.

The strategy calls for installing devices such as noisemakers, air bubbles and an electric barrier to deter the fish.

Scientists say if Asian carp become established in the Great Lakes, they could out-compete native fish.

Great Lakes
Lake Michigan