Use of Mussels to Improve Water Quality in Reflecting Pool [pdf]

> On a wet weight basis the Asiatic clam clearance rate here averaged 19X higher than the native mussel.

No wonder these things are taking over our waterways (along with zebra mussels, also briefly mentioned).

> Although the proposal to use native mussels as a clearing agent for the Constitution Gardens Reflecting Pool is admirable and ecologically friendly, it would be a formidable amount of molluscs to collect and distribute in the Reflecting Pool as well as probably affect the sources in local rivers. The suggestion was good but the implementation is not advised.

I wish I could have gotten to this conclusion somewhere before the last paragraph.

TLDR: It can be calculated based on the clearance rates found in this study that enough E. complanata mussels to clear the entire 6.5 acre Constitution Gardens Reflecting Pool in one month clearing constantly at 40.5ml/mussel/hr would be: 6.8 acre-feet x 1,233,482 liters/acre-foot x 2.75 ft depth = 23.1 x 106 liters divided by 744 hours/month x 40.5 ml/hr/mussel = 766,678 mussels. This would be 99,515 lb of mussels, average weight 59 gm. Similar calculations for C. fluminea give 307,409 clams or 7,033 lb of clams. Although the proposal to use native mussels as a clearing agent for the Constitution Gardens Reflecting Pool is admirable and ecologically friendly, it would be a formidable amount of molluscs to collect and distribute in the Reflecting Pool as well as probably affect the sources in local rivers. The suggestion was good but the implementation is not advised.