Electric Barrier Research

From the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters:

ERDC’s Aquatic Nuisance Species Research and Development Program and the Chicago District are supporting electric barrier research to determine optimum operating parameters to prevent passage of invasive fish species. Storms in the Chicago area and subsequent salty water runoff into streams and canals caused a major spike in conductivity impacting the electrical fields in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal that prevent passage of Asian carp into the Great Lakes.

The Chicago District had to reduce the voltage strength and frequency of the electrical field because the pulsators were operating at maximum capacity as a result of the higher conductivity. The district and the Fish and Wildlife Service were concerned that the lower operating parameters would not be effective in preventing passage of Asian carp. ERDC responded to the district’s request to rapidly evaluate the lower parameters and determined that they were effective in preventing Asian carp passage through the barrier field. (Photo by Detroit Free Press.)