Brandon Road Lock and Dam in National News as Invasive Asian Carp Found Nine Miles from Lake Michigan

Will County residents likely associate Brandon Road with the bridge that provides an alternative to I-80 or the downtown Joliet bridges over the Des Plaines River-- the river that connects the Illinois River to the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, and, ultimately, Lake Michigan.

 The recent discovery of an Asian Carp nine miles from Lake Michigan in the Calumet River, however, has drawn attention to the Brandon Road Lock and Dam and its importance in the fight to keep Asian Carp from reaching the Great Lakes. 

 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed a study regarding how the Brandon Road Lock and Dam could be improved to stop Asian Carp from continuing north on the Des Plaines.  The White House, however, has delayed the public release of that study.



Map showing the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in relation to the presence of Asian Carps in the waters near Lake Michigan.  Map courtesy of Prairie Rivers Network, which created the map with data from the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee


 Since the Asian Carp was found in the Calumet River, environmental groups like the Sierra Club and the Prairie Rivers Network have sounded the alarm, calling on members of Congress to demand the release of the Brandon Road Study.  

 After news of the carp's discovery, several members of Congress from Great Lakes States took to Facebook and called for the release of the Brandon Road Study.

 For background and information on the Army Corps of Engineers' work to study invasive species and the Brandon Road Lock and Dam, go here. 

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