BALTIMORE (AP) - A surge of mussels in a Maryland river have revived hopes for clearer, cleaner water.
The Baltimore Sun reported Wednesday that swarms of "dark false mussels" have been found in Cattail Creek off the Magothy River. Paul Spadaro is the president of the nonprofit Magothy River Association. He says there's been a population "explosion" large enough to start filtering the water.
Mussels are natural filters and clean local waters as they collect pollutants, including human pathogens found during sewage spills.
Spadaro says the mussels haven't been seen in such quantities for more than a decade. The finger-nail-sized mussels are considered native to the Chesapeake Bay. Ducks and crabs feed on the mussels, which are suspected to cause liver failure in dogs that munch on them.
