Take Action Tuesday: Tell Five Friends

Chicago Waterways and their entrances into Lake Michigan. Great Lakes Commission map.

The Great Lakes Commission is releasing a report today from a study begun in June 2010 about the feasibility of separating the Great Lakes watershed from the Mississippi watershed. (Maybe we tend to forget that this would actually restore the divide that the two watersheds once had naturally.) Keeping out Asian Carp is, of course, a main purpose of the undertaking. The report gives three engineering possibilities. From the GLC's press release:

Strategies for restoring the natural divide between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes – and, in the process, modernizing the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) – are identified in a report released today by the Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

“Physically separating the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds is the best long-term solution for preventing the movement of Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species, and our report demonstrates that it can be done,” said Tim Eder, executive director of the Great Lakes Commission.

Although we recommend reading the entire press release as well as the report, this is worth repeating:

The analysis concludes that preventing just a single invasive species from entering the Great Lakes can save as much as $5 billion over 30 years. The Corps of Engineers has identified 10 species that are poised to invade the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River.

According to the report’s economic analysis, the cost of the barriers themselves is as low as $109 million.

You can find links to the full report here, as well as summaries, and images like the Chicago waterways map shown above to download. Tell five friends. And after you read the release and report, tell us your thoughts.

We CAN keep Asian carp out of our Lakes. Spread the word!

Posted by Sierra Club volunteer Rebecca Hammond