Agencies Team Up to Restore Native Mussels to Ohio Waterway

A multiagency team took a hands-on approach to boosting native mussel populations in Ohio's Cuyahoga River this fall, marking a new chapter in efforts to restore the health of one of the state's most iconic waterways.

Scientists and specialists from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, worked alongside the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland State University, and Edge Engineering & Science to reintroduce hundreds of freshwater mussels into the river.

The project centered on roughly 670 Fatmucket mussels, each outfitted with tiny, numbered tags and passive integrated transponder chips - the same type of microchips used to track household pets. The tags allowed researchers to monitor the mussels' movement, growth and overall health as they settled into their new environment.

Working together in a science laboratory at Cleveland State University, the team spent long hours tagging the mussels in preparation for placing them at strategic locations throughout Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Peninsula, Ohio.

Freshwater mussels have been found in the Cuyahoga River for hundreds of years, but industrial growth, dams and pollution sharply reduced their numbers. Their reappearance in the early 2000s followed significant improvements in water quality.

Placing the mussels was a delicate task. Researchers made shallow divots in the riverbed - no bigger than a fingertip - and set each mussel in place with its foot down and siphon facing up. That orientation helped the mussels anchor themselves and begin filtering water, an essential step that will improve water quality and stabilized river sediment.

Experts believe the return of these globally imperiled species could have an outsized impact. Healthy mussel communities support cleaner water, provide habitat for other organisms and strengthen the overall functioning of the river ecosystem.

The long-term goal is to reestablish a thriving freshwater mussel community in the lower Cuyahoga River within Cuyahoga Valley National Park. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service said the project aligns with their broader mission to restore and enhance the river's ecosystem for future generations.