Welcome to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Portal. USACE is a member of the Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ICRCC), an interagency task force made up of federal, state, and local agencies working together to prevent invasive carp and other ANS from establishing sustainable populations in the Great Lakes. Protecting our national treasures, our Great Lakes, from ANS is critical.
Aquatic nuisance species are nonindigenous species that threaten the diversity or abundance of native species or the ecological stability of infested waters, or commercial, agricultural, aquacultural or recreational activities dependent on such waters. See Section 1003(2) of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990, 16 U.S.C. § 4702(1) (2010).
The Great Lakes and Ohio River Division is leading the USACE effort, along with the Mississippi Valley Division.
USACE supports the ICRCC effort through a four-part strategy:
- Operating the electric barriers in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC).
- Studying the effectiveness of the barriers and strengthening the barriers, as appropriate. View the efficacy reports.
- Participating in extensive monitoring of the Chicago Area Waterway System and Illinois Waterway.
- Conducting the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) that outlines available options and technologies that could be applied to prevent the inter-basin transfer of ANS of concern between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins by aquatic pathways.
For more information on the ICRCC: