Illinois and Michigan signed an agreement with the Biden administration Monday to kick off a long-awaited $1 billion project that will help prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes.
The agreement will allow for the construction of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project to block and deter the invasive fish that are now widespread in the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
A carp invasion in the Great Lakes could have devastating consequences for the health of the waterbodies as well as for recreational opportunities and the U.S. economy. The Army Corps of Engineers has identified the Brandon Road project, which has been in the works since the early 2000s, as the best way to prevent the fish from reaching the lakes.
The agreement unleashes $274 million in federal funds for the project, which would cost as an estimated $1.15 billion in total.
