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WOOD Radio Local News

WOOD Radio Local News

 

Grand River Revitalization project takes next step with mussel relocation

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Grand Rapids Whitewater has largely completed a key component of the Grand River Revitalization Initiative.

Crews relocated about 9,000 endangered mussels in the Grand River to nearby locations that are suitable habitats. Michael Staal is the project engineer for the city. He explained the process on West Michigan's Morning News.

"They put out metal bars that are one meter-by-one meter square. And they search through that one meter for about two minutes. If they find a mussel, then they search more through that meter again, and then they just flip it over and go the next meter up," Staal said.

The mussels were collected in a bag and taken to a site on the river where biologists sorted and numbered them. The ones that were state- or federally endangered were tagged, and then placed in very specific locations.

The relocation was a needed step in the effort to revitalize the river and enhance recreational opportunities. Lower-reach construction activities could begin in the river next summer.

As part of the effort to Restore the Rapids, Staal said four dams eventually will be removed.

"The water's very flat behind these dams, and when we tear out those dams and we add the rock back into the river, it's going to have a much more variable surface to it. And there's going to be faster-moving parts and slower-moving parts," he said.

Here is more information from the grandrapidsmi.gov website:

 The project, which began in August, moved at an unprecedented pace and concluded much earlier than initially expected. The dry weather and low-flow of the river allowed BioSurvey’s teams to substantially accelerate its work from the original mid-October completion estimate.

During the operation, six dive/snorkel teams searched an area about the size of eight football fields in the lower reach of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids. The preliminary count shows that crews searched and relocated 38 federally endangered Snuffbox Mussel (Epioblasma Triquetra), 2,069 State threatened and endangered mussels, and 6,933 other common mussel species. Each were recovered, identified, counted, marked for future monitoring and relocated. Crews moved each to nearby locations in the Grand River that offered suitable habitat for the species.

"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."

Of the 14,000-15,000 mussels in the project area, approximately 9,000 were successfully relocated. The remaining mussels will either be relocated next year or are located in areas that were unsafe for the divers.

The mussel relocation project is a critical step in the larger Grand River Revitalization Initiative, which aims to revitalize the Grand River and enhance recreational opportunities while preserving the river's ecological balance.

"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 City and Grand Rapids Whitewater continue to work through complex state and federal permitting processes to receive the necessary permits for construction to occur in the river. Pending the outcome of that process, lower reach construction activities could begin in the summer of 2025.

To learn more about River For All and its transformational projects, please visit riverforall.com or follow it on Facebook.

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Photo: Source: grandrapidsmi.gov


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