2025-May-26
Progress for the Brandon Road Invasive Carp Barrier Project
The Brandon Road Interbasin Project, a $1.15 billion initiative to prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes, has reached a significant milestone. On May 23, 2025, Illinois announced the acquisition of a nearly 50-acre parcel of property necessary for construction. This follows President Trump’s May 9, 2025, memo directing his administration to prioritize efforts to block invasive carp from the Great Lakes.
The project, in development since 2019, involves installing underwater deterrents and barriers at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Illinois, with construction expected to take six to eight years. The memo from the U.S. federal government is a signal of support for the Brandon Road project which was delayed earlier this year by the state of Illinois due to federal funding uncertainty.
If invasive carp become established in the Great Lakes, they could decimate the ecosystems, threatening the $5.1 billion fishing and $16 million recreational boating industries.
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