Officials have found no further sign of invasive mussels in Canyon Ferry following several years of testing.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) implemented restrictions in 2016 after a water sample from the lake was found to contain microscopic zebra mussel larvae. Since then, all boats coming off the lake had to be inspected and decontaminated, unless they took part in a "certified local boater" program.
Those requirements have now been eliminated, but that doesn't mean FWP will stop monitoring Canyon Ferry for mussels. There will still be inspection teams to remind people to "Clean, Drain, and Dry" their boats.
”Every time a boat leaves the water, just make sure you clean anything off of it, weeds, plants, and make sure all the water's drained and the boat's dry. And that helps prevent the spread of invasive things. You know, invasive things could be anywhere, so it's just, ‘Clean, Drain, Dry' always is a good practice to help be part of the solution," said Thomas Woolf, Montana FWP Aquatic Invasive Species.
Multiple samples from Tiber Reservoir a few years ago also tested positive for mussels. FWP will maintain the stricter regulations there for at least two more years.
