The Department of the Army, US Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District has a requirement for construction project for Brandon Road Interbasin Project – Increment II – Flushing Lock in Joliet, IL.

The Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP) is located at and immediately downstream of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam as shown in Figure 1. The navigation lock is located near Illinois Waterway River Mile No. 286 on the Des Plaines River in the City of Joliet, Illinois in Will County. The BRIP was developed to control the upstream transfer of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam on the Des Plaines River. The overall project has several components including an Engineered Channel (EC) in the area immediately downstream of the Brandon Road Lock and a flushing lock feature added to the lock itself as shown in Figure 2. Within the EC, several deterrents are proposed to be further modeled, developed, and designed and include: (1) electric deterrent; (2) acoustic fish deterrents; and (3) air bubble deterrents, with additional EC area for future deterrent technologies. Other features of the overall project include upstream and downstream boat ramps to provide access to the waterway for monitoring, utility installations to support the project, and support facilities. The entirety of the project has been divided into three (3) separate design and construction increments, specifically Risk Reduction Increments 1, 2 and 3. The focus of this sources sought is Increment II – Flushing Lock.

• Increment II- Flushing Lock of the project
• Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois, has been identified as the critical pinch point where layered technologies could be used to prevent movement of invasive carp populations into the Great Lakes. The lock flushing system intended to reduce the risk of ANS from passing northward through Brandon Road LD. This system is a modification of the existing filling emptying (F/E) system and must perform as both a lock flushing system and the F/E system. Remote operation of the headgates is a feature of this project. Lock operators must ensure sufficient water remains in the upper pool during flushing for navigation. Water used to flush the lock must be offset by reducing the water passing through the dam. Two headgates and their machinery will be replaced as part of this project to allow lock operators perform this function.