Cleaned up a bridge piling in the Ohio River and the fish came back in a month

Got a job in March to clear zebra mussels and old fishing line off a concrete piling near Louisville. It was a mess, just a gray, bare column with no life on it. We spent two days scraping and pressure washing. Went back for a check last week, and the whole thing is covered in new algae and little freshwater sponges. Saw a small school of bass hanging around it, which wasn't happening before. The client just wanted it clean for an inspection, but it feels good to see it turn into a spot for fish again so fast. Makes you think about how even the small clean-up jobs can help. Has anyone else noticed a quick change like that after a basic cleaning job?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordan1341mo ago

Honestly that's a really solid point about how quick the rebound can be if you just remove the junk. Did you guys use any special chemical treatment for the zebra mussels or was it just straight pressure washing? Because I've heard those things can leave some nasty residue that keeps stuff from growing back even after they're gone.

emmafisher1mo ago

@jordan134 the residue is real, but we just hit it with straight pressure washing and it worked fine.