Great Lakes mayors endorse $778M plan to fight Asian carp threat

A group representing mayors of cities in the Great Lakes region wants to fortify an Illinois waterway to prevent Asian carp from invading Lake Michigan.

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Cities Initiative has endorsed a $778 million plan developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which recently sent the proposal to Congress.

It calls for installing technologies such as underwater noisemakers, electric barriers and "bubble curtains" at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois, about 40 miles (64 kilometres) from Lake Michigan.

The structure is a crucial line of defence between the lake and the carp-infested Illinois River.

Michelle Morin-Doyle, chairwoman of the cities group and deputy mayor of Quebec City in Canada, says people created the Asian carp problem and are responsible for solving it.