Corps Of Engineers Takes Proactive Approach To Stop Asian Carp In Mississippi River

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is updating procedures at a lock and dam on the upper Mississippi River to stop the spread of Asian carp. Previous methods for operating spillway gates at Lock and Dam 8 in Genoa created variations in the flow of water through the dam, allowing the invasive species to swim through places with a slower current.Nan Bischoff, project manager for USACE's St. Paul district, said researchers from the University of Minnesota helped USACE identify these imbalances and adjust the way they use the gates."By rebalancing how we are passing flows, we do eliminate those areas where the Asian carp can get through," Bischoff said.So far, Asian carp have taken over the Mississippi River through parts of Iowa, about 100 miles south of Lock and Dam 8.