Corps rejects closing locks to block Asian carp

June 4, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.

Federal officials ruled out closing Chicago-area shipping locks on a regular basis Thursday, saying it probably would not stop dreaded Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes but could damage the local economy.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said anything short of permanently closing the two locks was unlikely to make a difference in the battle to prevent the voracious fish from gaining a foothold in Lake Michigan. That alternative will be part of a long-range study of whether to sever ties between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River systems, the Corps said.

The decision after months of study dashed the hopes of Michigan and neighboring states, which unsuccessfully have asked the Obama administration, Congress and the Supreme Court to order immediate closure. Supporters fear the locks will provide an easy path to the lakes for bighead and silver carp, which biologists say could starve out native species and ruin the $7 billion fishing industry.

Illinois government and business leaders resisted, saying closure would cripple Chicago shippers and tour boat operators while costing the local economy $4.7 billion over two decades. They questioned the reliability of DNA evidence suggesting the carp have overrun electronic barriers on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, part of a network of waterways eventually linking the lakes and the Mississippi.

In two reports issued Thursday, the government promised more modest steps, including completion of a third electronic barrier this year.

The Corps also will place screens near one of the locks, which already has been done at the other, and will study other technologies that could scare away the carp such as placing lights and noisemakers in the waterways, Quarles said.