RATTLESNAKE CREEK TO FLOW FREELY FOR FIRST TIME IN 100 YEARS
Work on New Channel to be Completed over Labor Day Weekend
The Rattlesnake Dam Removal Project will reach another major milestone over the Labor Day weekend. Since the removal of the dam, project contractor Aqua Terra Restoration has been working to divert Rattlesnake Creek to its new channel location and plans to finish the last of the creek reconstruction work on Sunday or Monday, September 6 or 7, 2020. The result will be a free-flowing Rattlesnake Creek for the first time in more than 100 years.
These final few days of work should be the last time the creek is disturbed as part of the creek restoration project. Nearby residents and visitors to the site may see a bit of cloudiness to the water, but this is of course temporary, part of the permitting process, and does not harm the fish.
“We could not have reached this significant milestone without the support of the community and our many partners and funders” says Rob Roberts of Trout Unlimited.
The next step in the project is to begin the revegetation process. The City’s Parks and Recreation Department has been growing vegetation native to the creek site all summer in a greenhouse.
The City of Missoula, Trout Unlimited, and project partners are looking for volunteers to help restore native vegetation along Rattlesnake Creek. Anyone interested in lending a hand in the vegetation restoration efforts in September and October should contact Clancy Jandreau at jandreauc@ci.missoula.mt.us for more details.
The public can still visit the project overlook on the Rattlesnake Greenway. For a trail map, site photos, and more information, please visit the project’s Engage Missoula site at https://www.engagemissoula.com/rattlesnake-reservoir-restoration.
For further information, please contact Rob Roberts at 406-540-2944 or Rob.Roberts@TU.or or Morgan Valliant at 406-552-6263 or MValliant@ci.missoula.mt.us.
All employees, contractors working on this project, and visitors to the site are required to follow specific COVID-19 safety protocols, including maintaining a 6-foot social distancing buffer from others or wearing appropriate personal protective equipment when distancing is not possible.
