Already approved federal funding for the Brandon Road Invasive Carp Interbasin project, which would fight invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes, has been released.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced on April 11 that nearly $114 million will support the Brandon Road Invasive Carp Interbasin project.
According to the USACE, which manages the project, the funding was awarded to J.F. Brennan Company Inc. of La Crosse to move forward with construction. Those efforts include automated barge clearing deterrent, bubble curtain deterrent, acoustic deterrent, leading-edge support facilities and an upstream boat ramp.
“The release of this critical funding is a meaningful step forward in protecting the Great Lakes from invasive carp and will help strengthen our ongoing efforts to safeguard some of our most valuable natural resources and support the ecosystems, communities and economies that depend on them,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement.
Evers had sent a letter to the federal government reminding it of the significance of the project after it withheld funding.
In it, he noted the Great Lakes economy is one that contributes over $3 trillion regionally. Over 33,500 jobs are attributed to Great Lakes fishing, with 2,700 jobs in Wisconsin.
Invasive carp has hurt the fishing industry by destroying native fisheries.
