President is best friend of Great Lakes environment
|
The White House’s recently accelerated a plan to permanently protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp. But many environmentalists are less than impressed.
Great Lakes not immune to “Death of Facts” disease
|
The Chicago Tribune recently reported an obituary of sorts on the death of facts. Here’s a regional spin on that observation.
Echo
Carp fight: Stymied in the courts, states widen the scope of the battle
|
The carp fights rage on.
An appeals court ruled against closing the Chicago locks. Now Great Lakes state attorneys are looking for support outside the region.
Water
Is this dead zone technique more acceptable for thwarting carp invasion?
|
They are deadly for aquatic life and take years of pollution to develop, yet dead zones can be created in a flash by bubbling nitrogen through a lake. Are they a solution for invading carp?
Wildlife
Could inducing a “dead zone” in Chicago canal block carp and other invaders?
|
Researchers are studying if an induced dead zone could discourage invasive species from moving between the Great Lakes and Mississippi watersheds.
Ontario, Illinois use tabletop exercises to practice for Asian invasion
|
Officials in Ontario are preparing for a possible Asian carp invasion in the Thames River by performing a tabletop exercise with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The simulation demonstrated that in the event of such an invasion, nets would be placed upstream and downstream to catch fish; an alternate plan is to use electrical current to catch the carp, according to Treehugger. This invasion concern stems from repeated incidents of people trying to bring trucks of the species into Toronto to sell. Similar techniques are being planned in the U.S. as well, as announced in the Monitoring and Rapid Response Plan for Illinois Waters. Are these tabletop exercises adequate in anticipation of a potentially devastating disaster?
Echo
No U.S. levees for Hurricane Carp
|
Commentary: Canada levies major fines on carp importers. But the glacial pace of U.S. action on carp control is like convincing federal authorities to build stronger levees before Hurricane Katrina hit. And if hearings instead of action really are required, how about holding one in the region with most at stake?
Chicago view: Is the city’s influence on Great Lakes policy justified?
|
Does Chicago have too much influence over the Great Lakes given its minimal geographical footprint? The Asian carp’s advance toward Lake Michigan highlights the impact the city has on 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water.
Echo
Sprawl, climate change, carp control hinder Chicago sewer solution
|
When more than two inches of rain falls in the Chicago area, the deluge flowing into storm sewers mixes with the wastewater from homes and businesses. Often there is more water than the metropolitan area’s treatment plants can handle, so the excess is discharged untreated into the Chicago River and its connected waterways. Such Combined Sewer Overflows — CSOs – are common in Chicago and many other U.S. cities where storm water and municipal wastewater are funneled into the same aging combined sewer pipes. Milwaukee and other cities discharge CSOs into Lake Michigan. The discharges include high levels of bacteria, parasites, viruses, toxic metals including copper and cadmium, nutrient pollutants including phosphorus, and suspended solids.
Echo
Asian carp: Time to panic?
|
Fishermen have pulled a live, 20-pound bighead carp from Lake Calumet, the first live Asian carp found past the fish-shocking barrier and only six unimpeded miles away from Lake Michigan.
This begs the question: Can we panic now?
A Great Lakes biologist, sport fisherman and activist suggest not.