GLIN==> FW: Last week to comment on Aquatic Nuisance Species Study (UNCLASSIFIED)

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

Last Week to Comment on Army Corps of Engineers Aquatic Nuisance Species
Study DETROIT – March 31 is the last day to comment on the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers’ Great 

Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS). Anyone wanting to view
the GLMRIS program management plan or comment on GLMRIS can do so online at
www.GLMRIS.anl.gov. The purpose of GLMRIS, unveiled in the fall of 2010, is
to evaluate a range of options and technologies to prevent the transfer of
aquatic nuisance species (ANS), such as Asian carp, between the Great Lakes
and Mississippi River basins through aquatic pathways.
“If we are going to complete GLMRIS efficiently and expeditiously, we need
the active support of any state or local agency, academic or scientific
institution that has relevant information or capabilities to help develop
recommendations,” said Col. Vincent Quarles, commander of the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers, Chicago District.
Using input obtained during the scoping period, the Corps will refine the
scope of GLMRIS to focus on significant issues, as well as eliminate issues
that are not significant from further detailed study.
The scope of GLMRIS is massive, including portions of 31 states and
evaluating hydrologically-complex topography along the nearly 1,500 mile-long
Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basin Divide. The GLMRIS analysis takes
into account dozens of potential ANS that may transfer through possible
aquatic pathways across this divide.
The Chicago Area Waterway System is particularly challenging given the
multiple uses of a continuously flowing channel in heavily urbanized terrain.
Those uses include flood risk management, storm water management and
wastewater discharge, commercial and recreational navigation, industrial
water supply, and transit by public safety vessels. As a result of these
complexities, the study must develop a comprehensive grasp of the potential
consequences of making changes to any part of this system.
Although the final GLMRIS study is not expected to be completed until 2015,
the Corps intends to release interim products as they are finalized. In the
meantime, the Corps and its partners in the multi-agency Asian Carp Regional
Coordinating Committee (ACRCC) will continue to pursue effective actions
toward eliminating the threat of Asian carp to the Great Lakes.
GLMRIS has produced on-the-ground results already. In 2010, after performing
a screening-level assessment along the Great Lakes and Mississippi River
Basin Divide, the study team comprised of USACE and other federal, state and
municipal agencies identified Eagle March, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana as
having the highest potential risk of ANS transfer outside of the Chicago Area
Waterway System. As a result of this finding, the Indiana Department of
Natural Resources completed a temporary barrier in September 2010 to impede
Asian carp movement. This action is NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release:
March 25, 2011
Contact:
Sarah Gross
Sarah.d.gross at usace.army.mil
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS – CHICAGO DISTRICT
111 N. CANAL, CHICAGO, IL. 60606
WWW.LRC.USACE.ARMY.MIL
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/USACECHICAGO
being followed up by the Corps with a detailed analysis of potential ANS
control technologies specifically focused on the potential Eagle Marsh
connection.
“Because of the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee’s effective
actions, we have the time to do this enormous and complex study thoroughly
and properly. An effective solution must, by law, take into account all
potential impacts of proposed alternatives, and because of this the solution
cannot be pre-determined,” said Major General John Peabody, commander of the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Great Lakes and Ohio River Division.
In addition to GLMRIS, the Corps has other projects aimed at preventing the
transfer of aquatic nuisance species, in particular Asian carp, between the
Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins. The Corps’ current efforts to
contain Asian carp include the continuous operation of the Electric Dispersal
Barrier System in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, construction of a
13-mile barricade that prevents fish bypass during flooding along the Des
Plaines River, participation in monitoring efforts and applying a variety of
tools including intensive netting, electro-fishing and environmental DNA
sampling. The Corps expedited the design and construction of a third electric
barrier that was completed a full year ahead of schedule and will soon go
into full-time operation.
The public comment period for GLMRIS opened on November 16, 2010. Since then,
the Corps has hosted a dozen public meetings throughout the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River drainage basins.
Transcripts of the scoping meetings and all comments received during scoping
period will be posted on www.glmris.anl.gov when they are available.
GLMRIS periodic newsletters will be published to keep interested parties
informed of the study progress. Copies of the newsletters will also be posted
on the Web site. Additionally, those interested in staying current with
GLMRIS may subscribe to the GLMRIS e-mail list to receive updates on
opportunities for public involvement, documents that have been added to the
Web site and other important news and events.
For more information regarding GLMRIS and scoping requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act, and to be added to the GLMRIS e-mail list,
visit the GLMRIS Web site at www.glmris.anl.gov or call or e-mail Dave
Wethington, GLMRIS project manager, at 312-846-5522 or
David.M.Wethington at usace.army.mil. Also, join the conversation at
Facebook.com/glmris and Twitter @GLMRIS. For more information on the ACRCC
visit www.asiancarp.org.
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Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE


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