On May 28, 8:24*am, BAR wrote:


Zebra mussels filter the water of the *St. Lawrence ever 18 hours. What
is your problem.

Here's some of the good and the bad...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra_mussel

Effects of zebra mussels Zebra mussel infestation on the walls of
Arthur V. Ormond Lock on the Arkansas River Zebra mussel-encrusted
Vector Averaging Current Meter from Lake Michigan

Zebra mussels are filter feeders. When in the water, they open their
shells to admit detritus.

Zebra mussels are a great nuisance to people. Since colonization of
the Great Lakes, they have covered the undersides of docks, boats, and
anchors. They have also spread into streams and rivers nationwide. In
some areas they completely cover the substrate, sometimes covering
other freshwater mussels. They can grow so densely that they block
pipelines, clogging water intakes of municipal water supplies and
hydroelectric companies.

As their shells are very sharp, they are known for cutting people's
feet, resulting in the need to wear water shoes.

Zebra mussels are also believed to be the source of deadly avian
botulism poisoning that has killed tens of thousands of birds in the
Great Lakes since the late 1990s.[20]

However, zebra mussels and other non-native species are credited with
the increased population and size of smallmouth bass in Lake Erie[21]
and yellow perch in Lake St. Clair.[22] They cleanse the waters of
inland lakes, resulting in increased sunlight penetration and growth
of native algae at greater depths. This cleansing also increases water
visibility and filters out pollutants. Each quagga and zebra mussel
filters about 1 US quart (0.95 l) of water a day when confined to
small tanks.[23] In lakes, their filtering effects are usually
spatially restricted (near the lake bottom) due to non-homogeneous
water column mixing.