March 03, 2017 at 5:11 pm | By MATT VOLZ
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Federal
officials said Friday they have approved new measures meant to prevent a repeat
of last fall's mass bird deaths in a contaminated former open-pit mine in
Montana, including noise-making cannons and radar and laser systems.
The measures also include the use
of strobe lights and remote-controlled boats and aircraft to haze birds off the
toxic water, plus strategically placed decoys to divert birds away from the
Berkeley Pit in Butte, part of the nation's largest Superfund site.
Some of the technology can be
deployed immediately, while others — including a laser net covering the pit —
will need additional regulatory approval, said Nikia Greene, the project
manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"We're going to try all that
are available at this time," Greene said. "I know the cannons are
available. Things like that, we're going to try right away."
Last November, between 3,000 and
4,000 migrating snow geese died when they sought refuge in the pit filled with
50 billion gallons of toxic, metal-laden water. The sheer number rendered
ineffective the existing bird deterrent system, which includes noisemakers
called Phoenix Wailers.
The spring migration season began
on Wednesday, increasing the urgency to approve the new measures. If they are
effective, the Berkeley Pit's waterfowl mitigation program will be permanently
updated to include them for the fall migration and beyond, Greene said.
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