IUCN threat status:  Least Concern (LC)  Brief Summary  Read
full entry Just like other freshwater mussels, zebra mussels
play an important role in keeping water clean. In European
waters, an individual mussel can filter 76 milliliters of water
per hour. This means that zebra mussels in the IJsselmeer are
capable of filtering the entire lake around two times per month,
clearing up the lake considerably. Zebra mussels can also cause
an enormous amount of economic damage. They attach themselves
easily to exhaust pipes of power stations and cooling water
systems, plugging them up. In North America in particular, they
form a large problem.    © Copyright Ecomare  Source: Ecomare