CHICAGO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - A judge on Thursday denied a request by five U.S. states to close off man-made waterways that connect the Great Lakes to inland rivers, ruling there was no imminent threat of Asian carp entering the lakes.
Five states bordering the lakes, led by Michigan, had sought a preliminary injunction that would have required the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to immediately shut off the waterways, arguing action was necessary to head off a disaster for the lakes' ${esc.dollar}7 billion fishery.
But U.S. District Court Judge Robert Dow disagreed, saying the states were unlikely to win their lawsuit against the Army Corps and had not proven the threat of a carp invasion was imminent.
(Reporting by Andrew Stern; Editing by Will Dunham)
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