SARA reintroduces freshwater mussels in first-in-Texas conservation effort [Video]

SAN ANTONIO – Think of it as a liver transplant.

The San Antonio River Authority is reintroducing 5,000 freshwater mussels into the river over the next month or two, generally between Interstate 10 and a little below Loop 410 on the South Side.

SARA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it’s a first-of-its-kind conservation effort in Texas.

Unlike the invasive zebra mussel, the yellow sandshell is a native mussel that hasn’t existed in the city’s waterway for several decades, but could help with biodiversity and filter harmful bacteria out of the water.

Though they’ll go into the water at about three-quarters of an inch in size, the yellow sandshell can grow to about five-and-a-half inches. Mussels — sometimes called the “livers of the river” — can filter about 10 gallons of water a day on average.

“We have a number of different spots throughout the river that we know are healthy for these mussels to come into — …