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David Duran
Professor Clayton Jones
English 1020
05 March 2018
Extinction of the Next Mussel

With growing number of corporate industries in Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky

there is bound to be an increase in pollution killing off local aquatic populations. Contamination

of the rivers throughout these areas could very well cause the extinction of the orange-footed

pimpleback mussel. While there are other aquatic species at risk, the population numbers of the

pimpleback mussel are currently unknown and spread thin across three states. The extinction of

the orange-footed pimple back mussel will occur within the next two to three decades induced by

both point and nonpoint pollution.

The orange-footed pimpleback mussel is also known as the orange-footed pearly mussel

whose binomial nomenclature is Plethobasus cooperianus. Mollusks are an essential key to

surrounding local aquatic environments as they are known to filter and clean water. According to

the Recovery Plan drafted by Steven Ahlstedt, “the orange-footed pearly mussel (Plethobasus

cooperianus) was proposed as an endangered species in September 1975” to the Federal Register

(1). “Freshwater mussel surveys by numerous individuals have failed to find P. cooperianus

living in any streams other than the Tennessee, Cumberland, and lower Ohio Rivers” (Ahlstedt

5). P. cooperianus has historically only been found in medium to large size rivers with their diet

mainly consisting of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and bacteria suspended in the water” allowing

the filtration of water. By drawing water into their shells and siphoning out their food and

oxygen they can also take in pollution if it is present.

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Pollution that is hurting mussels derives from point and non-point sources. According to

the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) non-point source pollution can be caused by

“rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground.” Rainfall and snowmelt move over

and through the ground pick up and carry “away natural and human-made pollutants” which are

carried into the local aquatic ecosystem (“Which”). On the opposite side of the spectrum, point

source pollution is described by the EPA as any single source of pollution where pollutants are

discharged by means of a pipe, ship or factory smokestack. While the public may not collectively

agree that pollution is the most responsible culprit for the population decline of the orange-footed

mussel, there are other offenders as well. Other possible nefarious suspects include the zebra

mussel, who has been causing quite the disruption in local ecosystems. Then there is a small

portion of the community that believes which Darwinism should play a more significant role in

the lives of endangered animals.

To better understand population deterioration of P. cooperianus, pollution should first be

looked considered. Contamination of the waterways in the Tennessee River has always been a

central concern for residents and government officials alike. At the turn of the century “a dam-

building frenzy that began in 1914 with the establishment of Alabama Power and received a

major boost from the Tennessee Valley Authority in the 1930s” (Spears 175). “Since the early

1930s and 1940s, the Tennessee Valley Authority, Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), and

the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have constructed 51 impoundments throughout the Tennessee

and Cumberland River System alone” (Ahlstedt 9).

Not all impoundments are currently being used in today's era. In the documentary

DamNation, Bruce Babbitt, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior states, “There are 75,000 dams

over three feet high in the United States. That’s the equivalent of building one every day since
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Thomas Jefferson was the President of the United States.” Impoundments such as the ones found

along the Tennessee River have separated species that require open waterways such as that of the

orange-footed pimpleback mussel. The deterioration of the mussels is primarily due to the

construction of “dams and reservoirs” resulting in the flooding of the “mussel's habitat reducing

its gravel and sand habitat.” The construction of dams and reservoirs are barriers that isolate

upstream populations from downstream ones. In addition to all these impoundments destroying

the habitats and separating the males from females for reproducing; they also have caused

siltation. Siltation most often occurs around dams because of the rise and fall of water eroding

the embankments away into the rivers and streams surrounding them. Because of how P.

cooperianus draws water into their shell the sedimentation caused by these dams can clog their

gills and prevent them from feeding. Consequently, the water must free of siltation and any

impurities for mollusks to maintain long and prosperous lives.

Another primary source of pollution not only in Tennessee but, the United States is a

form of non-point source pollution. “Over-enrichment of nutrients constitutes a major problem in

many streams and rivers in the USA” (Panagopoulos 37). Farmers in United States are known for

using pesticides and chemicals on the food and animals they raised. The question remains, what

happens to these insecticides once the soil absorbs everything it can? Once precipitation falls

onto the farms in Tennessee, these pesticides rush into the nearby streams and creeks. Nothing

can be done at this level of filtration once it has reached a confluence. One solution to the over-

enrichment of soil in plantations and farmlands is to limit or reduce the amount of chemical used.

In the study led by Yiannis Panagopoulos, they state, “The predicted corn and soybean yields in

the region were not influenced negatively by the agricultural management scenarios that were
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simulated using the baseline climate (49). An inference can be made by just reducing the volume

of chemicals used and resulting in the same amount of crop yields.

A simple byproduct of coal-burning power plants is ash that requires storage. In

December 2008 one of the most significant spills regarding ash spilt into the Emory River near

Kington, Tennessee. Ash produced by the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Fossil Fuel

Plant in East Tennessee has been known to contain “elevated concentrations of various trace

metals and metalloids, including selenium, mercury, and arsenic” (Greeley 154). Other surveyors

were conducting a similar study at the time and compared the ash to have “fine silica particles

very similar to sand” (Walls 56). Greeley and his associates set out to present that the ash “may

not present a significant risk to developing embryos and larvae from either direct contact or

contaminated sediment” (158). Research conducted by both Greeley and Walls’ teams were

thorough and meticulous, but no results were published with the consideration of mollusks or

any mussels. While the sedimentation may not harm the local embryos or larvae, the same effect

cannot be inferred for the pimpleback mussel due to its nature to filter their food out of the water.

Industries have always had a hard time containing and cleaning up pollution. One of the

most recent offenders is a corporate giant where one of their factories is in Alabama. 3M based

in Decatur, Alabama, is most famously known for their adhesives, displays, molding, polymer

melting processes, and precision designs. The company is being accused of underreporting “a

variety of harmful synthetic chemicals by a factor of 1,000”. Not more than a year prior in 2016,

3M was accused polluting water to the point where “communities located a full 13 miles

downstream from the 3M plant declared their water undrinkable” (Matthews). 3M has been

careful concerning their statements and more recently been accused of “covering up information

for decades regarding the dangers of PFCs [which have been known to cause cancer,] by funding
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friendly research” (Belanger). “The water authority's lawsuit against 3M seeks funding for a

permanent filtration system and other relief, but 3M repeatedly has insisted the chemicals are not

harmful at levels found in the local environment” (Belanger).

Trouble doesn’t stop at just one corporation or industry, but it begins with a multitude of

them. Ron Mixon who has spent most of his life on the Tennessee River “some 20 years as a

mussel diver” told reports that, “right now, there’s 27 plants on Wheeler Lake that have legal

right to put toxins into that water” (Whitaker). The issue came about when Warriors for Clean

Water brought it to the attention of local media. All twenty-seven plants are operating within the

guidelines of their discharge permits. But “permits do not take into consideration how the flow of the

river changes from day to day, or even hour to hour” (Whitaker). Discharge of industries on Wheeler

Lake means that the pollution that their permits allow could sit in a tranquil lake rather than flowing

with the Tennessee River. Warriors for Clean Water set out and commissioned Auburn University to

test water collected on Wheeler Lake for certain heavy metal. “The tests revealed cadmium,

chromium, copper, lead, nickel, zinc and mercury at levels - high enough that they could

adversely effect aquatic life” (Whitaker). Ron Mixon revealed that through tears the mussels in

Wheeler Lake and the Tennessee River have all died because of pollution.

While not all the issues surrounding the orange-footed pimpleback mussel are because of

pollution, it is a significant cause of their decline. Darwinism is revered by many and seen as the

only way to survive in the wild. Darwinism can be accurate in most cases in which natural

selection must take place. We are brought to consider that decline in population is due to

humanities pollution. If the decrease in population is the result of human beings industrializing

and attempting to revolutionize our next invention; it would only be ethical to save the species,

we are responsible for almost killing off.

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Invasive species have been problematic due to the nature of how they interact with local

ecosystems. Zebra mussels are no different and were first seen in “North America in 1988 in the

Great Lakes” (Benson). The zebra mussel can easily surround the orange-footed pimpleback

mussel by attaching hundreds or even thousands to the shell. Once attached to the shell it can kill

the host by interfering with its ability to feed, respire, excrete, and move.

Population recovery for a diminishing species is never a dull task to accomplish. Without

the help of environmentalists and lobbyists alike, population growth will falter. Unless action is

taken against the corporations that have caused such a travesty to the orange-footed pimpleback

mussel the extinction is inevitable and likely to occur within the next two to three decades. With

the proper enforcement of rules and regulations set forth by the Environmental Protection

Agency, the pollution arising will decrease. Opening waterways by destroying old dams that no

longer serve a purpose will open breeding grounds and further spread the population that is to

come.
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Works Cited

Ahlstedt, Steven. “Recovery Plan for Orange-Footed Pearly Mussel.” U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 30 Aug. 1984.
<https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/840930b.pdf>. 02 Mar. 2018.
Belanger, Evan. “3M Tells Alabama That It Underreported Chemicals in River.” USNews.com.
U.S. News, 01 Dec. 2017. <https://www.usnews.com/news/best-
states/alabama/articles/2017-12-01/3m-tells-alabama-that-it-underreported-chemicals-in-
river>. 02 Mar. 2018.
Benson, A. J., et al. “Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771).” Zebra mussel (Dreissena
polymorpha) - Species Profile. USGS. 13 Feb. 2018.
<https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?speciesid=5>. 02 Mar. 2018
DamNation. Dir. Ben Knight, Travis Rummel. Narr. Ben Knight. Patagonia. 2014. Amazon.com.
02 Mar. 2018.
Greeley, Mark S., et al. "Effects of Sediment Containing Coal Ash from the Kingston Ash
Release on Embryo-Larval Development in the Fathead Minnow. Pimephales Promelas
(Rafinesque, 1820)." Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. vol. 92.
no. 2. 2014. pp. 154-9. ProQuest.
<https://proxy.lib.utc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1477157313?ac
countid=14767>. 02 Mar. 2018
Matthews, Kayla. “3M Co. and Others Sued in Tennessee River Pollution Case.” Planetizen -
Urban Planning News, Jobs, and Education. Planetizen. 13 Dec. 2017. 1 p.m. PST.
<https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/96264-3m-co-and-others-sued-tennessee-river-
pollution-case>. 02 Mar. 2018.
Panagopoulos, Yiannis, et al. "Impacts of Climate Change on Hydrology, Water Quality and
Crop Productivity in the Ohio-Tennessee River Basin." International Journal of
Agricultural and Biological Engineering. vol. 8, no. 3, 2015, pp. 36-53, ProQuest
Central. <https://proxy.lib.utc.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-
com.proxy.lib.utc.edu/docview/1698978368?accountid=14767>. 02 Mar. 2018.
Spears, Ellen G. "(Re)Writing Histories of Environmentalism in Alabama." Alabama Review.
vol. 70, no. 2, 2017, pp. 171-188. ProQuest Central.
<https://proxy.lib.utc.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-
com.proxy.lib.utc.edu/docview/1917919229?accountid=14767.> 02 Mar. 2018.
Walls, Suzanne J., et al. "Effects of Coal Fly Ash on Tree Swallow Reproduction in Watts Bar
Reservoir, Tennessee." Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. vol. 11.
no. 1. 2015. pp. 56. ProQuest. <https://proxy.lib.utc.edu/login?url=https://search-
proquest-com.proxy.lib.utc.edu/docview/1645955053?accountid=14767>. 02 Mar. 2018
Whitaker, Al. “Environmental group sounds alarm about toxins in the Tennessee River.” WHNT
19 News. WHNT.com. 02 Mar. 2016. <http://whnt.com/2016/03/01/environmental-
group-sounds-alarm-about-toxins-in-the-tennessee-river/>. 02 Mar. 2018.