The Trump administration has halted progress on a project aimed at curbing the spread of invasive carp in the Great Lakes. This decision, made public on Friday by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, raised significant concerns over the freshwater supply for both Illinois and the nation. Pritzker emphasized that stopping this project represents a direct threat to the region’s clean water sources.
Earlier, the Pritzker administration requested the federal government to reverse the work stoppage order from July 24 at the Brandon Road Interbasin Project in Joliet. The project has previously experienced many delays. Speaking on Friday, Pritzker accused the Trump administration of undermining efforts to protect water quality in the Great Lakes and across the United States.
The project at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam on the Des Plaines River is designed to create barriers against invasive carp. It has been a cause of friction between Illinois and the federal government due to its potential regional impact. For decades, Illinois, Michigan, and federal agencies have worked to stop invasive species like silver and bighead carp from damaging Great Lakes ecosystems and industries.
Past delays in the project’s construction have stemmed from a lack of trust between Pritzker and Trump. The Illinois government learned of the recent halt from contractors rather than federal officials, prompting the state Department of Natural Resources to request a meeting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The USACE confirmed pausing the project but provided little further context.
Despite a memorandum from Trump last year reaffirming the initiative, which blames Pritzker for previous delays, the Department of the Interior ultimately froze over $13.6 million earmarked for related carp mitigation projects, including at Brandon Road. These delays pose significant risks to both regional drinking water and economic stability.
Originating from China, invasive carp were introduced into the United States in the 1960s. They escaped into the Mississippi River system following flooding in the 1980s and 1990s. The carp, particularly the silver and bighead species, now threaten the Great Lakes. They lack natural predators in U.S. waters, allowing their populations to expand rapidly and compete with native species.
The Brandon Road project, valued at $1.15 billion, represents concerted efforts across decades by Illinois, Michigan, and federal entities to prevent carp infiltration. Brandon Road is seen as an effective location for using layered technologies to impede carp from moving north into the Great Lakes, where current electrical barriers prove insufficient.
If the Great Lakes water supply is contaminated by Asian carp, it will hamper our ability to maintain clean water, impact industries reliant on the Great Lakes, and affect all bordering states,
Pritzker warned on Friday.