In 2010 a 13-mile concrete and steel mesh wall was put in place to keep the Des Plaines River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal separate during flood events.
The barrier keeps Asian Carp out but may also restrict animal movement (especially reptiles and amphibians) between the Des Plaines River and adjacent wetlands.
Twenty gates were installed in the barrier to allow animal movement and are closed during flood events.
What we’ve done:
– We conducted visual surveys for reptiles and amphibians along the Asian Carp Barrier.
– We attached cameras to the back of 14 gates to see what animals use the gates.
What we’ve found:
– We documented 10 reptile and 5 amphibian species during visual surveys along the Asian Carp Barrier.
– We documented 9 reptile and 2 amphibian species using gates in the Asian Carp Barrier with trail cameras.
