Don’t close Chicago locks

Don’t close Chicago locks

In a panic, many have suggest- ed that the locks in the Chicago be closed or, as if that weren’t extreme enough, have suggested that the Great Lakes be permanently separated from the river and waterway system that has long made the region a shipping, manufacturing, agricultural and industry hub.

The discovery of a single Asian carp beyond the barriers in Lake Calumet, Ill., does not mean that the barriers within the Chicago waterway system are not working. This was one fish, and a breach of the barrier is by no means a given. Flooding, for example, can carry an unwanted specimen into new waters, as can accidental transport by human conveyance.

The spread of Asian carp is serious business. But rash actions such as closure of the locks or permanent separation are both far premature and extraordinarily risky from an economic standpoint. If the locks in Chicago shut down, who’s to say that the Ohio River, Cleveland Harbor, or the whole Great Lakes shipping industry wouldn’t be the next to go?

Jay Shuter, Chillicothe