Q&A

What is the electric barrier on the Illinois River?

What is the electric barrier on the Illinois River?

Electric dispersal barriers are located near Romeoville, Illinois, in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) within the CAWS. These barriers are designed to prevent fish migration between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins through the CSSC.

How do electric fish barriers work?

The basic electric fish barrier is an array of electrodes submerged in the water perpendicular to flow, connected to pulse generators and a power source above the water. When the pulse generators release current, voltage is applied between two electrodes, creating an electric field across the section of water.

Where will the Coast Guard not rescue you?

“There is no identified safe method to recover a victim from the water while in the electrified zone. If a person or object falls out of your vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard will not [emphasis mine] attempt a rescue until the person is 450ft down river, due to electric hazard for the rescuers.”

How deep is the Chicago River?

21 feet deep
At its deepest point, the Chicago River is 21 feet deep. It runs 156 miles from start to finish, with three main branches — North, Main, and South — along the way. The river is 800 feet at its widest and ultimately helps connect the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River Basin, which leads to the Gulf of Mexico.

Is Chicago on the Mississippi River?

The Chicago Riverwalk in downtown Chicago. The river now flows inland—through the south branch and into the Illinois Waterway (Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and the Des Plaines and Illinois rivers)—to connect with the Mississippi River.

What fish is invading the Great Lakes?

Four species of Invasive carps, bighead carp, silver carp, black carp, and grass carp are some undesirable invasive fishes that Great Lakes fishery managers are seeking to prevent from establishment.

What is a fish barrier?

A fish barrier is a structure, either natural or man-made, that prevents the upstream movement of fishes and aquatic organisms. The Bureau of Reclamation constructs fish barriers to prevent upstream movements of nonnative aquatic organisms into streams with native fish populations.

How deep is the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal?

Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, U.S. waterway linking the south branch of the Chicago River with the Des Plaines River at Lockport, Illinois. It has a length of 30 miles (48 km), a minimum width of 160 feet (50 metres), a minimum depth of 9 feet (2.7 metres), and 2 locks.

Do coast guards carry guns?

The United States Coast Guard uses cutters and small boats on the water, and fixed- and rotary wing (helicopters) aircraft in the air. The Coast Guard employs various small arms including handguns, shotguns, rifles, and machine guns.

What is Coast Guard salary?

All active-duty enlisted members entering the Coast Guard start out making approximately $20,000 annually. This is just basic pay. Members may also be entitled to other allowances depending on their status.

Is it safe to swim in the Chicago River?

First, though many portions of the Chicago River are manmade, it is still a moving body of water, filled with living organisms and aquatic wildlife. It will never be as clean as, say, a pool. Public health officials say that no human should swim in any body of water with high levels of fecal coliform.

Whats at the bottom of the Chicago River?

Now to get all literal, at the very bottom of the river is rock — Niagara limestone, to be exact. Despite the fact that much of the Chicago River system is man-made, both the natural bottom and the man-made, dynamite-carved bottom are formed out of this rocky substrate.

Where are the electric barriers in the Chicago District?

The Electric Barriers are located near Romeoville, Ill., in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) within the CAWS. The CSSC is a man-made hydrologic connection between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins that was completed in the early 20th century to address sanitation and flooding.

Where are the electric barriers in the Great Lakes?

Electric Barriers. The Electric Barriers are located near Romeoville, Ill., in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) within the CAWS. The CSSC is a man-made hydrologic connection between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins that was completed in the early 20th century to address sanitation and flooding.

Why are there electric barriers in the water?

The Electric Barriers are operated to deter the inter-basin establishment of Asian carp and other fish via the CSSC by maintaining an electric field in the water. The barriers are one control technology in a broad interagency Asian carp prevention effort.

How does an electric barrier work for fish?

The electrodes are connected to a raceway, consisting of electrical connections to a control building. Equipment in the control building generates a DC pulse through the electrodes, creating an electric field in the water that discourages fish from crossing. The Demonstration Barrier has been operational since 2002.