MICHIGAN—An agreement that would see construction of the Brandon Road Interbasin project that would restrict the movement of aquatic nuisance species, notably invasive carp from an Illinois waterway into the Great Lakes watershed, is still being delayed.
“I made a bunch of phone calls yesterday and the agreement has not yet been signed by the state of Illinois,” said Molly Flanagan, of the Great Lakes Alliance when contacted by The Expositor last week.
“The USACE (United States Army Corps of Engineers) has a timeline for the project based on construction beginning in 2024,” said Ms. Flanagan. “The construction was supposed to start in September. The longer the state of Illinois stalls on the signing of the agreement the further down the road the project construction can begin.”
“Essentially at this point Illinois is blocking the progress on the project,” said Ms. Flanagan, pointing out once the construction begins it will be about two years before completion.
“The USACE has designed the project so it can be done in segments. So, some parts of the project would be complete sooner. Some would be online earlier and be protecting the waters from the carp,” said Ms. Flanagan. “But first Illinois needs to sign the agreement so their share of the funding can be accessed. The longer they delay this the longer it will be for the project to begin and to be completed. They (Illinois) have been saying they are going to sign the agreement for over a year. Who knows? The delay in the project is all on Illinois. USACE is ready to do the work they need to.”
The $1.146 billion project is a complex, innovative ecosystem restoration project. Funding for the project is primarily at the US federal levels with Michigan adding $64 million and Illinois $50 million.
