The Brandon Road Interbasin Project is a complex ecosystem protection effort designed to prevent upstream movement of invasive carp and other aquatic nuisance species into the Great Lakes from the Illinois Waterway. Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois, has been identified as the critical pinch point where layered technologies could be used to prevent movement of invasive carp populations into the Great Lakes.    

Pre-construction engineering and design of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project was initiated Dec. 29, 2020, when the state of Illinois signed a design agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District. This phase of the project, known as PED, is estimated to last three years, cost $28.9 million, and be cost shared 65 percent federal, 35 percent non-federal. The state of Michigan contributed $8 million to the state of Illinois to help with the $10.1 million non-federal portion.

The recommended plan involves a layered system of structural and non-structural control measures. Structural measures include technologies such as a flushing lock, an engineered channel with electric barrier, underwater acoustic deterrent, air bubble curtain and an automated barge clearing deterrent. Non-structural measures, implemented in conjunction with other federal agencies, could include public education and outreach, monitoring, integrated pest management, pesticides, manual or mechanical removal, and research and development.

Project Design as of December 2022

Anticipated Project Timeline

(Click to view full-size PDF)Brandon Road Interbasin Project Overview

Contact Us

For more information on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project contact the Rock Island District at: (309) 794-5729 or email: cemvr-cc@usace.army.mil

Acoustic Deterrent Testing

A temporary, experimental underwater acoustic deterrent system was installed earlier this year at Mississippi River Lock and Dam 19 between Keokuk, Iowa, and Hamilton, Illinois, as part of an ongoing study by the U.S. Geological Survey and the USACE Engineer Research and Development Center to better understand how invasive carp respond to acoustic (sound) signals.

If the deterrent is effective at controlling upstream movement of invasive carp with limited effects on native species or impacts to the navigation system, this or similar technology may be used at other critical locations such as Brandon Road Lock and Dam to help prevent the spread of invasive carp. 

Click the video link below to learn more.