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Chicago waterways focus of expensive proposals to combat carp
(Above) An Asian Carp captured by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 7-Jan-14 – A report submitted to the United States Congress on Monday offers eight suggestions on how to deal with Asian Carp and other aquatic nuisances. One option – no new federal action – would cost nothing but the cost of the other plans ranges from $68 million to $18.3 billion. It is up to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to find a way to prevent 13 species from getting from the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes. The Chicago Area Waterway System offers five pathways, including the Chicago River.
Options include using nets or pesticides to remove the fish, education programs to help the general public understand “how their everyday actions can influence the spread” of nuisance species, and using electricity (above) to repel the fish. Another suggestion would require boats going between bodies of water to stop in a lock that would clean the boat by pumping in treated water. The report does not recommend one option over another. The Environmental Science Division of Argonne National Laboratory, located about 30 miles southwest of Chicago, assisted with the report. A public meeting to discuss the report and allow for comments and questions is scheduled for January 9 in Chicago. It will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Gleacher Center, 450 North Cityfront Plaza Drive.
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