Holland Engineering and Niswander Environmental, on behalf of Rochester University, recently completed an emergency mussel survey for the Clinton River Bank Stabilization Project.
With the stream bank falling in and destabilizing buildings, immediate action was called for. As a Group 3 stream, federally listed species might have been present. The survey team included numerous biologists who snorkeled the river adjacent to the University. Given the available habitat, a diverse mussel population was expected. However, no freshwater mussels were observed. This is likely due to past and present environmental conditions. Despite these issues, numerous fish species were observed, including a large northern pike.
Based on the results of the mussel survey, we conclude that the proposed project should have no effect on freshwater mussels, as no living mussels or dead shells were found.