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Federal officials on Thursday ruled
out closing Chicago-area shipping locks on a regular basis, saying
it probably would not stop dreaded Asian carp from invading the
Great Lakes but could damage the local economy.


      The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said anything short of
permanently closing the two locks was unlikely to make a difference
in the battle to prevent the voracious fish from gaining a foothold
in Lake Michigan. That alternative will be part of a long-range
study of whether to sever ties between the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River systems, the Corps said.


      The decision after months of study dashed the hopes of Michigan
and neighboring states, which have unsuccessfully asked the Obama
administration, Congress and the Supreme Court to order immediate
closure. Supporters fear the locks will provide an easy path to the
lakes for bighead and silver carp, which biologists say could
starve out native species and ruin the $7 billion fishing industry.


      Illinois government and business leaders resisted, saying
closure would cripple Chicago shippers and tour boat operators
while costing the local economy $4.7 billion over two decades. They
questioned the reliability of DNA evidence suggesting the carp have
overrun electronic barriers on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal,
part of a network of waterways eventually linking the lakes and the
Mississippi.


      "After rigorous scientific and technical review, it's clear
that shutting down Chicago's waterways is not an effective
solution," said Rep. Judy Biggert, an Illinois Republican.


      Col. Vincent Quarles, commander of the Corps' Chicago district,
said the agency considered several scenarios for regularly
scheduled lock closures and openings. For example, they could be
closed three or four days a week, or every other week.


      "In the end, the analysis showed that using measures such as
temporary lock closures will do very little to reduce the risk of
Asian carp migration," Quarles said.


      In two reports issued Thursday, the government promised more
modest steps, including completion of a third electronic barrier
this year.


      The Corps also will place screens near one of the locks, which
already has been done at the other, and will study other
technologies that could scare away the carp such as placing lights
and noisemakers in the waterways, Quarles said.


      The Michigan attorney general's office, which has led the push
for lock closure, said those measures were too little, too late.


      "It's just disappointing seeing things like this being
portrayed as real action to confront the Asian carp threat when in
reality so much more needs to be done," spokeswoman Joy Yearout
said. "It's generating a false sense of security."


      Quarles said the locks might be occasionally closed for short
periods to assist operations such as the spreading of fish poison
in a section of the waterways last month, which killed 100,000
pounds of fish but turned up no Asian carp.
      

Gallery

Federal officials on Thursday ruled
out closing Chicago-area shipping locks on a regular basis, saying
it probably would not stop dreaded Asian carp from invading the
Great Lakes but could damage the local economy.


Corps rejects closing locks to block Asian carp

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