[Greenbuilding] [BULK] Get to work or I'll eatcha

[Lawrence Lile]

Surely you jest, Rob!  Zebra mussels are like Kudzu or in-laws who visit
for weeks - they are pests that cannot be got rid of.  IIRC Zebra
mussels do something dire to the local fauna - I can't remember if they
kill off the native shellfish or if they kill off something else.  The
conservation department is desperately trying to keep them out of
Missouri.  

Another invader that has been used to clean up algae is grass carp,
which also can become a problem.  

I wish I knew of a native mussel that could handle the job.  
 
 
Lawrence Lile, P.E., LEED AP

-----Original Message-----
From: greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org
[mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of Rob Tom
Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 10:17 AM
To: GB REPP
Cc: SB Yahoos
Subject: [BULK] [Greenbuilding] Get to work or I'll eatcha
Importance: Low

I remember long, long ago when the shoreline of the Bay of Quinte near
my  
childhood home used get ripe with a carpet of algae every summer.

A few years ago, on a visit to the home town I was suprised to see that

the shoreline was clean; devoid of the usual scuzzy, scummy carpet and
the  
water was as crystal clear as that which you'd see in a wilderness lake
up  
north.

My cousin, an avid fisherman, informed me that it was due to zebra
mussels  
having invaded the Bay, probably due to some vacationing Murricans who  
brought along some hitch-hikers on their boat hulls.

This spring, where we've already had a number of scorcher days, I've  
noticed that the critter ponds around my property and elsewhere have  
developed a lush crop of algae.

Seeing as how the zebra mussels did such an amazingly efficient job of  
cleaning up a huge body of water like the Bay, I'm thinking that just a

bagful could probably do a pretty good job of cleaning up the critter  
ponds.

Introducing zebra mussels would probably be a bad idea so I'm wondering
if  
the mussels that my local fish monger sells would do a similar clean-up

and maintenance job ?

Has anyone tried putting the tasty little morsels to work in their ponds

or swimming pools as an alternative to a mechanical pump/filter and if
so,  
were they effective ? And if yes, did you eat them after the work season

was over ? Or ... ?

-- 
=== * ===
Rob Tom
Kanata, Ontario, Canada
< A r c h i L o g i c  at   C h a f f Y a h o o  dot  C a  >
(winnow the chaff from my edress in your reply)


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