Congress Powers Up Carp Barrier
This article was published in the Winter edition of Great Lakes News
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The ever controversial national grab-bag of water development projects, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), overcame a presidential veto and was enacted, meaning the Asian carp electric barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal has full authorization to be completed and maintained in perpetuity by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The passage of WRDA has been a slow, controversial process. With 900 projects and total spending of $23 billion, it is the largest and most expensive WRDA in history. In addition to critical Great Lakes projects, the bill authorizes components of Everglades Gulf Coast and Upper Mississippi River restoration projects and contains three modest provisions that reforms how the Corps operates to better protect the environment and taxpayers, but also contains specific projects that harm the environment with questionable economic benefits.
The electric barrier, however, is as non-controversial as you can get. Asian carp pose a grave threat to the Great Lakes, having virtually wiped out native fish populations in many places where they have invaded along the Mississippi River watershed. Different Asian carp species can grow to 60 pounds or heavier, and have the tendency to jump out of the water when startled, resulting in a serious safety hazard to boaters and other water recreationalists.
Virtually every avenue for barrier authorization was pursued. Stand-alone barrier legislation was proposed by Illinois Senator Durbin and Representative Biggert, but committee leaders would not allow WRDA to be dismantled to advance specific projects. Barrier authorization was also written into the Great Lakes Implementation Act, the legislation introduced to implement restoration priorities identified by the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration.
While the region waited for any one of these vehicles to move, people unified continually to fight for appropriations to keep the construction moving forward and the electricity on for another year.
A temporary electric barrier was originally constructed as an experiment in 2002 to try to keep the round goby, an invader introduced into the Great Lakes by over-seas vessel ballast, out of the Mississippi River basin. The barrier was not turned on in time to keep the goby out of the Mississippi basin, though it has been operational ahead of the Asian carp migration.
Being experimental, the barrier had a life expectancy of five years. The barrier surpassed that expectancy, but has begun to fail, motivating a push to upgrade the barrier and make it permanent. Beyond the immediate threat of a carp invasion, a fully functional electric barrier system will keep other invasive species from spreading between the Great Lakes and Mississippi watersheds.
The last time WRDA passed was in 2000, and WRDA 2007 only came after the first ever presidential veto override of the Bush administration. The House overrode the veto 361-54 and the Senate voted 79-14. The veto was the last remaining legal hurdle for the barrier, though annual funding appropriated by Congress will be required to complete the project.
Jennifer Nalbone
Great Lakes United
With files from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and the Corps Reform Network
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