Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Other Partners
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Established in 1889, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District is an award-winning, special purpose government agency responsible for treating wastewater and managing stormwater in Cook County, Illinois. We strive to be a responsive neighbor that engages with the public on several critical water-related issues that improve the quality of life for all.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. Michigan Department of Natural Resources strives to be a nationally recognized leader in protecting natural and cultural resources, ensuring sustainable recreation use and enjoyment, enabling strong natural resource-based economies, improving and building strong relationships and partnerships, and fostering effective business practices and good governance.
Great Lakes Commission
The eight U.S. Great Lake states and two Canadian provinces are represented on the nonpartisan Great Lakes Commission by a delegation of government-appointed commissioners. The Great Lakes Commission recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone.
Recent News
2025 update on targeted mass removal of invasive carp from the Illinois River
Two separate but complementary invasive carp mass removal projects on the Illinois River – amounting to nearly 46 million pounds removed to date – are on track to meet or exceed the goals set in the 2025 Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee Action Plan.
No invasive carp found during intensive monitoring in Chicago Area Waterway System
No bighead or silver carp were captured or observed in the Chicago Area Waterway System during the Spring Seasonal Intensive Monitoring effort involving two weeks of intensive sampling in late May 2025.
No bighead or silver carp captured during 2024 Seasonal Intensive Monitoring
No bighead or silver carp were captured or observed in the Chicago Area Waterway System during the Fall Seasonal Intensive Monitoring effort involving two weeks of intensive sampling in early October 2024.
Dead invasive silver carp removed from the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee today announced the removal of a dead invasive silver carp from the Lockport Pool in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.
Army Corps, Illinois, and Michigan sign agreement to move Brandon Road Interbasin Project forward and unlock Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for construction
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, and the states of Illinois and Michigan signed a project partnership agreement for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, moving the project forward into construction phase.
More than $47 million for 45 projects announced for the ongoing battle against invasive carp in the Great Lakes basin
To support the ongoing battle to reduce the destructiveness of invasive carp and the threats they pose to the Great Lakes, the Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee today announced the release of its annual Invasive Carp Action Plan for 2024.
IDNR concludes record-breaking invasive carp removal effort on Upper Illinois River
Illinois Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologists, with support from contracted commercial fishers and biologists from the Illinois River Biological Station, wrapped up a 10-day intensive harvest operation in the Starved Rock pool of the Illinois River, resulting in the removal of an astonishing 750,000 pounds of silver carp between Nov. 27 and Dec. 6.
No invasive carp found during intensive monitoring in Chicago Area Waterway System
No bighead, silver, or grass carp were captured or observed in the Chicago Area Waterway System after two weeks of rigorous sampling were conducted in October 2023 during the annual Fall Seasonal Intensive Monitoring event.
Interim reports released for two experimental invasive carp deterrent studies
Interim project updates for the BioAcoustic Fish Fence at Barkley Lock and Dam in Kentucky and the Underwater Acoustic Deterrent System at Lock No. 19 on the Mississippi River have been released as Open File Reports that provide information from the first two years of operation and evaluation for each study.