Carp barrier delayed

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Device sending too much electricity too far down canal, posing danger to barges

Safety worries could delay the activation of the new electric carp barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

The Army Corps of Engineers hoped to turn on the barrier on Monday, but tests show the fish-shocking device is sending too much electricity down a canal that is heavily traveled by barges toting industrial materials.

The electrified swath of water is supposed to cover only a barrier zone on the canal just over a half-mile long, and there are strict rules for barge operators inside that zone.

To reduce the risks of sparks flying between vessels, barges must be linked snugly together with wire rope and cannot stop. Barge operators cannot pass each other within the zone. Workers on open decks must wear life preservers that will keep the head above water if they tumble overboard and become paralyzed by the electrified water.

The problem now is that there are apparently dangerous levels of electricity in the canal below the designated barrier zone.

"The Coast Guard wants to reduce, or as much as possible eliminate, that electrical field (beyond the barrier zone), so we're working on modifications to the system that will do that. And we're working on that feverishly," said Chuck Shea, the barrier project manager for the corps.

"They think this problem can be resolved by placing a device in the canal that would attract the excess current," said Luke Punzenberger, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Mark Green, who has been pushing for increased federal funding for the barrier.

Shea said the unwanted electrical current extending beyond the canal zone likely isn't strong enough to incapacitate an individual who falls overboard but could be strong enough to send sparks between unconnected barges.

"If there is a load of something flammable, you certainly don't want that," he said.

Shea said the old electric barrier will continue to operate until the new barrier can be turned on. He said the corps has two priorities. One is safety.

"The other thing is to maintain protection of some type via a barrier at all times," Shea said. "We'll meet both those goals."

The barrier is designed to prevent Asian carp from invading Lake Michigan. The voracious filter feeders have been migrating up the Mississippi River basin for the past decade and have gotten within about 50 miles of the Lake Michigan shoreline.

The barrier is considered the last defense for the lakes.

Green, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, has pushed for more federal dollars to keep the old barrier running as a backup.