GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A mussel relocation project in the Grand River that is part of the Grand River Revitalization Initiative has finished ahead of schedule, the City of Grand Rapids announced Monday.
The city said that most of the relocation effort finished on Friday, Sept. 13 after just a few weeks after work began on Friday, Aug. 23.
"We're thrilled with the rapid progress of our mussel relocation efforts," said Michael Staal, project manager for the City’s Engineering Department. "The dedication and efficiency of our specialized crews put us well ahead of schedule, allowing us to minimize disruption to the river ecosystem and move forward with our restoration plans once the remaining permits are secured."
Six dive teams searched for the mussels in an area about the size of eight football fields in the lower reach of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids, the city said in a release.
The teams gathered about 9,000 mussels and relocated them to nearby suitable habitats in other parts of the river. The mussels were also identified, counted and marked for future monitoring.
The city said the preliminary count of the mussels includes 38 federally endangered Snuffbox Mussel (Epioblasma Triquetra), 2,069 state-threatened and endangered mussels, and 6,933 other common mussel species.
The crews estimated there were a total of 14,000-15,000 mussels in the project area. The mussels left behind were either in locations that weren't safe for divers to collect or they will be relocated next year.
"This project demonstrates our commitment to responsible environmental stewardship as we work to restore the Grand River," added Matt Chapman, Executive Director of Grand Rapids Whitewater. "With the completion of this phase of mussel relocation we are now focusing on the final steps in the process to begin removing the four low-head dams and bringing the rapids back to Grand Rapids."
The next step in the Grand River Revitalization Initiative will be continuing to gather permits from the state and federal government to begin construction in the river. Lower reach construction could begin as early as the summer of 2025, the city said.
