Utility Argues It Protects Great Lakes
Posted on: Wednesday, 9 May 2007, 00:00 CDT
The owner of four older Chicago-area power plants argues that dumping hot water into local rivers keeps invasive species out of the Great Lakes.
Midwest Generation says ending the hot-water discharge would also be prohibitively expensive, The Chicago Tribune reports.
The Chicago and Des Plaines rivers were connected more than a century ago to allow barges to travel from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi. For decades, the rivers were open sewers devoid of most life.
Now, the rivers are becoming cleaner. But that raises the possibility that the Asian carp, which escaped from southern fish farms, could make its way into Lake Michigan.
Why should we make it easier for other species to make it through? asked Bill Constantelos, Midwest Generation's director of environmental policy. These rivers were designed for barge traffic. To say they're going to become quality fisheries is more than a stretch.
Environmentalists say the argument makes no sense, especially since carp prefer warm water. On the other hand, they say the discharges threaten other species of fish that have returned to the rivers.
Source: United Press International
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