The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (GLSLCI) are leading an initiative to develop and evaluate scenarios for separating the Mississippi River and Great Lakes watersheds to prevent the transfer of aquatic invasive species (AIS), with a focus on the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). Such a separation should also maintain, if not improve, other aspects of the system including the movement of goods and people, water quality and stormwater management. With support from a team of consultants, the project will provide a detailed evaluation of potential scenarios for separation, including their costs, benefits and impacts. It will advance two strategic objectives:

• Evaluate the economic, technical, and ecological feasibility of separation by illustrating scenarios to achieve it, along with associated costs, impacts and potential benefits of a re-engineered hydrologic system for greater Chicago
• Support and complement the work of the Army Corps of Engineers under their Great Lakes and Mississippi River Inter-Basin Study by defining, assessing and vetting scenarios for separation

Key products will include a comprehensive report, a series of supporting technical sub-documents, and a clear and concise summary for a lay audience. The project will include an extensive effort to engage users of the waterway in the Chicago area, including those who currently depend on current uses of the waterways for commercial and recreational transportation, stormwater and wastewater management. The goal of the project is to demonstrate to Great Lakes policy leaders, including federal officials, that separation is feasible, practical, and effective by illustrating and analyzing realistic options to achieve it.

This collaborative initiative has received full funding of $2 million from six regional funding entities: the Joyce Foundation, the C.S. Mott Foundation, the Great Lakes Fishery Trust, the Great Lakes Protection Fund, the Wege Foundation and the Frey Foundation.