A team of agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources collaborated to design, operate and evaluate a barrier to prevent the dispersal of aquatic nuisance species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi drainage basins. The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Dispersal Barrier was successfully erected and operated with a focus on Asian carp in the Illinois River. The team tested the barrier’s effectiveness by tracking individual carp downstream. The project demonstrated the potential applicability and effectiveness of dispersal barriers, and results of this pilot project caused changes in the design of a more permanent barrier.