Illinois, << `ihl` uh NOY, >> River is the largest and most important water route in Illinois. The river is part of the waterway system that links the Great Lakes with the Gulf of Mexico.
The Illinois River starts at the meeting of the Kankakee and Des Plaines rivers about 45 miles (72 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. It flows southwest for 273 miles (439 kilometers) and empties into the Mississippi River about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of St. Louis. The Illinois River drains about 25,000 square miles (64,700 square kilometers) of land. It forms the southern part of the Illinois Waterway, which links Lake Michigan with the Mississippi River.
During the 1990’s, scientists began to notice Asian carp in the Illinois River. The fish, considered an invasive species, threaten native fish and local ecosystems. In the first decade of the 2000’s, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, together with state and federal agencies, constructed underwater electrical barriers to keep the carp out of Lake Michigan.
