Poland uses eight clams to monitor the cleanliness of the entire water system and it's mindblowing

When you think of clams, you think of the one on your dining table for a fancy dinner. However, do you know that clams have a bigger purpose to serve? Clams and mollusks monitor the cleanliness of the water in Poland. These are not just used at your dining tables but also for preserving water, reports The Bored Panda. A Polish Tumblr user Ftgurdy explained how this is done in Warsaw. He says that “the main water pump has 8 clams that have triggers attached to their shells. If the water gets too toxic, they close, and the triggers shut off the city’s water supply automatically.” A documentary called Fat Kathy also discusses this, it is “a philosophical essay on the dependence of people on nature and the world around them.”

Municipal Water and Sewage Enterprise of Warsaw confirms the use of clamps for biomonitoring purposes. They do this to ensure the safety of the water treatment process. Mollusks are first adapted to the environment after they are brought to the laboratory. It takes two weeks and the scientists examine the opening of the clam shells as clams leave a slight opening and enter the water and feed themselves. They only live in clean water and close their shells as they sense any form of impurity. They are then laid in a designed flow tank.

They are connected to a device that records how much the clam shells are open at all times. With low water quality, the clams close their shells to avoid any contact with their surroundings. In order for clams to not get used to the water, they are placed in water for only three months. After the work is done, clams are put back into their place and marked so that the scientists do not pick them again. The Polish Waterworks company states that biomonitoring is one of the best ways to ensure the cleanliness of the water. Mussels monitor and ensure the water quality of more than 8 million people in Poland.

Minneapolis Water Treatment and Distribution Services have also revealed that they use this technology to keep their water clean. They use 12 mussels to ensure water hygiene and safety. “They are filter feeders, so they are feeding off of the water that’s in there, pulling the nutrients down,” said George Kraynick of Minneapolis Water Works.

“They live for up to 50 years, they are there 24/7 and they are happy in the tank, just feeding. [After they’ve served their time] Most likely, we will just set them free in the river. They’re still young, they have a long life to lead,” he also explained. This is indeed a great method to preserve water and it also tells us how some natural methods are still the best to preserve our environment and for this reason, they must be known, spoken about, and used by as many people as possible.