Berkeley Pit water may kill hundreds of snow geese

BUTTE, Mont. – Montana Resources officials said hundreds of migrating snow geese that landed in the acidic waters of the Berkeley Pit may die.

An estimated 10,000 geese landed on the pit during a snow storm Monday night. Montana Resources environmental affairs manager Mark Thompson told the Montana Standards that about 90 percent of the birds have left, but a few hundred stragglers remained on Friday.

Some of the birds have died and company officials said things don’t look good for the remaining birds that have resisted hazing.

During a 1995 snow storm, more than 340 geese landed on the water contaminated with mine waste and died.

Thompson said Montana Resources officials have been working since Monday night trying to haze the birds off the water. He said they will look into adding speakers to a drone to haze birds in the future.