Public can voice its two cents on fed's Great Lakes anti-invasive species plan

The federal government is ready to go public with its war plans to fight invasive species from entering the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River drainage, which includes the Ohio River that creeps all the way up into Pymatuning Valley.

And the public is invited to participate in the process, too, with the meeting scheduled to take place at the Cleveland Public Library, 325 Superior Ave., N.E, downtown Cleveland.

Accordingly, the government is announcing that:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the White House Council on Environmental Quality are hosting a public meeting in Cleveland Jan. 16, 2014, from 4 - 7 p.m. to discuss the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) Report that was submitted to Congress Jan. 6, 2014, and to allow for public comment.

The report presents a range of options and technologies available to prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species (ANS), such as Asian carp, between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins through aquatic connections.

This meeting is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. With a presentation on the report. Following the presentation the public will have the opportunity to respond; or at least those persons who have pre-registered to do so.

To view the report or to register to speak, visit http://glmris.anl.gov/glmris-report/. Comments will be accepted for the administrative record until approximately 30 days following the last public meeting, or March 3, 2014.

The report identifies eight potential alternatives - from continuing current efforts to complete separation of the watersheds - and evaluates the potential of these alternatives to control the inter-basin spread of 13 aquatic nuisance fish (to include Asian carp), algae, virus, crustaceans and plants in all life stages with high or medium risk for transfer.

The options concentrate on the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). The CAWS is a complex, multi-use waterway and is the primary direct, continuous inter-basin connection between the Mississippi River Basin and Lake Michigan.

The report provides a description of various evaluation criteria (like estimated cost and timeline information) that can be used by stakeholders to compare plans. However, this report is not a decision document and does not rank, rate or make a recommendation.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

Jfrischk@Ameritech.net