From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Chicago – Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said a few weeks ago they would turn on their new electric carp barrier by the end of the month, but the agency scrapped those plans Wednesday because of unforeseen maintenance issues on a largely unused contraption that is now nearly three years old.

The barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was completed in the spring of 2006, but the Army Corps and the U.S. Coast Guard have been wrestling since then over safety issues tied to electrifying a waterway that is heavily used by barges, some of which carry flammable materials.

After years of tests and safety measures that have totaled about $1 million, both agencies say they are now satisfied the barrier can be activated without posing an unreasonable risk to boaters.

The barrier is considered the best hope to keep the oversized Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes, but it won’t be turned on until engineers can replace a set of defective cooling pipes.

Installing new pipes is expected to take a couple of months, and the hope is that the $9 million device will be turned on sometime in mid to late March.

In the meantime, a nearby smaller and weaker “demonstration barrier” that was built in 2002 will remain the only defense for the Great Lakes. Read more.

From Science Daily:

A new scientific study led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reaches a powerful conclusion about the climate change caused by future increases of carbon dioxide: to a large extent, there’s no going back. Read more.

In Pontiac, Illinois, a new approach to collecting unwanted medicines–developed by high school students–is up and running. The students used the IISG toolkit as they developed their program. IISG also helped pay for the billboard designed to raise awareness on this issue. Program specialists are also working closely with Paul Ritter and Eric Bohm, the teachers behind this project, to promote related curriculum. IISG continues to partner with P2D2 to educate the Great Lakes states and beyond on the proper disposal of unwanted medicines.

For more info, visit our Safe Disposal of Unwanted Medicine page on the IISG site.

IAGLR, or the International Association of Great Lakes Research, has published a press release that describes a recent IISG-funded study that documents that a contaminated river can diminish nearby property values.

From an article in the latest IISG newsletter, the HELM:

Using hedonic analysis of property sales, John Braden of the University of Illinois found that for owner-occupied homes within a five-mile radius of the Sheboygan River Area of Concern (in Wisconsin), the overall estimated loss of value is $158 million, which translates into an 8 percent discount, on average. “The impacts are greatest for properties closest to the river and concentrated in the more populated areas nearest the lower river,” he said.

From the IAGLR press release:

Hazardous waste found in sediment is one of the chief reasons why 40 locations in the Great Lakes Basin are on an environmental watch list maintained by the International Joint Commission. According to Braden …, “the cost of cleanup at the U.S. sites alone could exceed $4 billion, but it’s not clear whether cleanup would produce comparable economic benefits. These studies provide insight into the economic benefits at stake near the Buffalo River in New York and the Sheboygan River in Wisconsin.”

The results of these studies, “Economic Benefits of Remediating the Buffalo River, NY Area of Concern” and “Economic Benefits of Remediating the Sheboygan River, WI Area of Concern,” are reported by John B. Braden and colleagues in the latest issue (Volume 34, No 4, pp. 631-648 and pp. 649-660) of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, published by the International Association for Great Lakes Research, 2008.

These are trying times for the environment. With climate change upon us, as well as a host of other concerns, such as population growth, invasive aquatic species, contaminated waters, and loss of natural habitat, the southern Lake Michigan region faces many challenges. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG), with its unique mandate to bring the latest science to those who can best use the information, serves a critical role in empowering people to solve problems in sustainable ways.

One of more than 30 Sea Grant programs in the U.S., IISG is focused on southern Lake Michigan and Great Lakes concerns. The program is funded through NOAA, the University of Illinois, and Purdue University, but IISG also works in partnerships with key organizations, institutions, and agencies in the region to reach more audiences and multiply opportunities for success. IISG brings together scientists, educators, policy makers, community decision makers, outreach specialists, business leaders, and the general public to work towards a healthy environment and economy.