Did They Get Through? Asian Carp Barrier Had Power Outage

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - Two members of Congress say an electric barrier system near Chicago meant to prevent Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes had a 13-minute power outage.

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and Congressman Dave Camp, both of Michigan, told The Associated Press about the outage Friday ahead of an official announcement. They said it happened Wednesday around 1 p.m. Central time.

A spokesman for Stabenow said two of three barriers in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal were operating at the time and both failed. Backup generators were activated but a power surge prevented them from immediately working.

Stabenow and Camp say experts are trying to determine whether any fish were near the barriers during the outage.

The Army Corps of Engineers operates the barriers, which are 37 miles from Lake Michigan.

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