Slapy Reservoir rescue: Volunteers save mussels from drying waters

A massive rescue operation is underway at the Slapy Reservoir in the Czech Republic to save endangered freshwater mussels and shellfish. Due to extreme water shortages, water managers have been releasing water from the Orlík Reservoir to ensure sufficient flow for Prague and other cities along the Vltava River. This has caused the Slapy water level to drop by nearly three meters, with daily decreases of ten to twenty centimeters.

The Czech Union for Nature Conservation is coordinating volunteers to relocate native, water-purifying species, including the protected painter's mussel, back into the water. Volunteers are instructed to focus on native species and avoid helping small invasive species, which do not belong in the local ecosystem. Over 200 volunteers have already participated in the effort, though organizers expressed concern regarding the sustainability of the rescue if water levels continue to decline.

Water managers hope the hydrological situation will improve in the autumn. If not, the reservoir level could reach its minimum within months, requiring further regulation of the Vltava via the Orlík Reservoir.