Attorneys general of Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania have collectively rejected the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' plans for a $275 million project to prevent Asian carp from infiltrating Lake Michigan.
The Army Corps' plan was a redesign of the Illinois Waterway lock, which would be completed by 2025, MLive reported. Features of the project included a new electric barrier, a flushing lock to keep the fish away with noise cannons and an updated shipping channel, complete with water jets.
However, in a recent letter, the attorneys general outlined a much simpler and less expensive fix: Completely close the Brandon Road Lock & Dam on the Des Plaines River in Illinois. This solution, they argued would only cost about $5.9 million and would be just as effective.