Laura Bowley of the Bureau of Water Quality announced Oct. 1 that the Muncie Sanitary District’s freshwater mussel propagation program received the Indiana Governor’s Award of Environmental Excellence in the Land Use and Conservation category.

The program, started in 2021 as part of the Bureau of Water Quality, breeds and places native freshwater mussels back into the White River and nearby tributaries to boost water quality. "Each adult mussel filters 10 to 15 gallons of water every day," Bowley said, citing the program’s ecological benefit.

Why it matters: freshwater mussels act as natural filters for sediment and excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Bowley told the Board of Sanitary Commissioners that mussels placed by the program since 2023 have already filtered more than 1.3 million gallons of water and that, by the end of this year, the mussels in the water will filter about 4.1 million gallons annually.

Program details and results were presented to the board by Chuck Jones, director of the Bureau of Water Quality, and Bowley. Bowley said the district released 123 mussels in 2023 and expects to place about 750 mussels into waterways by the end of this year; an additional 1,600 mussels are being overwintered in the facility with plans to release them next year.

Bowley described the biological challenge the program addresses: historically abundant mussel populations have been reduced such that very few individuals reach adulthood in the wild. "Out in the waterways, only 1 in 10,000 makes it to adulthood," she said, explaining the rationale for captive propagation.

Board members praised the program. "We're very proud of the work that the Bureau of Water Quality does," said Mr. Clark, a sanitary district commissioner. Commissioner Selby compared the local effort favorably with larger Chesapeake Bay initiatives, and Commissioner Smith asked about public education and tours; Bowley said the bureau offers tours of the White River freshwater mussel propagation facility and the White River Education and Research Center and provided contact pathways via the Bureau of Water Quality.

Bowley also noted legal protections for native mussels in Indiana and urged the public to avoid handling shells: "All native mussels in the state of Indiana are protected. So you aren't allowed to actually even touch dead shell," she said.

Funding and partners: the program is supported by grants and local partners. Bowley cited earlier support from the Nature Conservancy and the Indianapolis Zoo and later funding from the Ball Brothers fund and the Community Foundation. She credited staff across the district and the Muncie Water Pollution Control Facility for operational help.

No formal board action was taken; the presentation and award recognition were informational. The bureau indicated it will present a fuller year‑end water quality report to the board when summer data analyses are complete.