Meetings set on revised Tiber boating rules

Fish, Wildlife and Parks is holding meetings to tell people what has come out of planning for boating access to and use on Tiber Reservoir this year.

The body of water has been under intense scrutiny and regulation since invasive aquatic mussel larvae were discovered there in 2016.

The department originally had planned to restrict access to Tiber, south of Chester, to two points, but collected additional comments after concerns were raised in a public meeting in Chester March 21 about limiting access to only the east side of the reservoir.

The two meetings, one in Chester April 23 and one in Great Falls April 25, will explain the revised rules for boaters on Tiber.

The limits were proposed after concerns were raised that, in 2017, watercraft were leaving the reservoir and launching in other state waters without being decontaminated.

Records also showed that some boaters leaving Tiber were directed to inspection stations but never showed up.

Zebra and quagga mussels, which originate in Russia and Ukraine, have spread through Europe and parts of the United States, especially the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basin. With no natural predators and a rapid, prolific breeding cycle, the mussels often settle on and in boats, water infrastructure, screens, water intakes, pumps, pipelines, dams and other structures.

Their presence damages the natural ecology and causes major problems with water system infrastructure including irrigation projects and municipal water supplies.

The state established a mussel response team after the discovery, with stricter rules on boat inspections and water entry.

The public meetings about this year’s rules at Tiber are set for 6:30-9 p.m. Monday, April 23, at the Liberty Community and Senior Center, 613 E. Adams in Chester, and 6:30-9 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, at the FWP Region 4 HQ, 4600 Giant Springs Road in Great Falls.

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Online:

State aquatic invasive species website: http://cleandraindry.mt.gov/.