19 Nov 2024

Finite Element Modeling of Aquatic Electrical Barriers—Voltage and Current Distributions: Brandon Road Lock and Dam Interbasin Project—Electric Fish Deterrent Design Recommendations

Abstract: Invasive carp (black, grass, silver, and bighead) are native to Asia and were imported into the US during the 1970s and 1980s to help fish farmers manage water quality and vegetation. Unfortunately, these carp became established in the Mississippi River and have led to a decline in native fish species. To prevent their spread from the Mississippi River Basin to the Great Lakes Basin via the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS), the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) operates a series of four electric dispersal barriers near Romeoville, Illinois in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC). To supplement these barriers, USACE was authorized to construct a series of aquatic nuisance species deterrents, including an electric deterrent, approximately 11 river miles downstream at Brandon Road Lock and Dam (BR). Throughout the BR electric deterrent design process, the dispersal barriers at the CSSC have served as the prototype systems used in the development of the concepts. Additionally, USACE has worked with the US Army Cold Regions Research Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) to develop a finite element numerical model (COMSOL) that predicts voltage and electric current distributions for a given electrode and waterway geometry.