Divers with US Fish & Wildlife Services were brought to “the face of Tiber Dam” to find any type of adult aquatic invasive mussels–they found nothing that would indicate there are any mussels there, according to a recent article in the Missoulian. The reason the divers were brought in was because there was a juvenile mussel discovered in a water sample that came from Tiber Reservoir in 2016. In addition to Canyon Ferry’s “suspect sample”, this led the state of Montana to “increase its efforts to prevent the possible spread of the shellfish that can clog water pipes and displace native species.”
Apparently, wildlife officer Deb Goeb found a rusty pipe in the water at Tiber, and that was completely free of any sign of mussels. Although this is all good news and a good sign, state officials will continue to test the waters and inspect and educate boaters at both of the reservoirs, along with watercraft coming into Montana to ensure mussels do not become an issue in our waters.
