CHICAGO — A Great Lakes environmental advocacy group is calling upon the US Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct further studies regarding the separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds in an effort to impede the exchange of invasive species, The Times reported on November 12.

The “ecological separation” of the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River basin would help protect both watersheds from the threat of invasive species, according to the Alliance for the Great Lakes, which released its 106-page “Preliminary Feasibility of Ecological Separation of the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes” study on November 12.

According to the study, manmade waterways constructed more than a century ago between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River allow the transfer of some invasive species that can cause irreversible damage. Invasive species can be introduced into the waters, and then transferred, by shipping and recreational boats. Scientists indicate that more than 150 invasive species have been found in the Great Lakes, with the potential for others to also threaten the world’s largest freshwater system.

The group’s report notes that Asian carp, which can grow to 4 feet long and 100 pounds, were released into the Mississippi River basin in the early 1990s. They now are in the Illinois River within 50 miles of Lake Michigan, a drinking water source for Chicago and other communities.

Joel Brammeier, Alliance president and lead author of the study, said in the article, “Invaders like Asian carp are unpredictable, but their effects are catastrophic and irreversible. You’ve got to remove their pathway.”

Brammeier also noted the potential harm to the lakes’ multibillion-dollar fishing industry.

The study, which suggests that concrete walls and more shipping locks could be constructed in up to six areas to help separate the basins, calls on the Army Corps of Engineers and EPA to conduct more research.