Though cute and numerous, Utah prairie dogs have not contaminated Bryce Canyon National Park's water with E.coli/NPS, Kevin Doxstater

Thinking of going to Bryce Canyon National Park but having second thoughts because you heard something about the park's drinking water being contaminated with E. coli. Have no worry, that was a misinformed report. 

There recently was an in-state news report that the park's drinking water was contaminated with E.coli from the Utah prairie dogs who live in the area. While it's possible for E.coli to be created from prairie dog wastes when water floods their burrows, park staff said their water treatment system negates the threat.

Here are the facts from the park: 

Bryce Canyon National Park Drinking Water is Safe to Drink

Bryce Canyon National Park is and has been in full compliance with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Drinking Water and the National Park Service Office of Public Health. Therefore, it is not necessary to bring your own water. 

 Why were there reports that drinking water is contaminated with E. coli?

 The NPS collects pre-treatment water samples from our well site, even though they are not required, to help us monitor conditions and develop mitigation treatments if needed.  The positive bacteriological samples cited were taken in 2017 and before filtration and chlorination treatment. The NPS has not recorded a positive bacteriological sample after treatment, and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Drinking Water has deemed the water as safe for public use. The latest pre-treatment sample was analyzed on May 15, 2018, with no contamination found. The park will be working with Garfield County in an attempt to resolve any outstanding concerns regarding pre- and post-treatment water quality issues at the park.

What is the threat from Utah Prairie Dogs to the water at Bryce Canyon?

 A federally-protected species, the Utah Prairie Dog, has inhabited the area near the park’s domestic water supply for many years. When the water table rises during spring run off or during the monsoon season, and water is flushed through the prairie dog burrows, there is a risk of fecal contamination before treatment.

NPS water treatment, as with other public water treatment facilities, successfully mitigates the risk to the public by treating the water first through filtration and then with chlorine application. There have been no positive samples for E coli or coliform following the NPS water treatment and the water is safe for public consumption.

In addition, NPS has worked successfully with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reduce any possible risk associated with prairie dog burrows, through a series of measures, including construction of a prairie-dog exclusion fence in October 2017. Prairie dogs were translocated away from the exclusion area following completion of the fence, but some prairie dogs had already entered hibernation and remained in the area. The remaining prairie dogs will be removed from within the fenced area and translocated to other sites on Federal lands this summer.

Park water quality testing results can be found at www.waterlink.utah.gov, and any further updates on this issue can be found at www.nps.gov/brca.

To contact the park directly about this issue, contact Superintendent Linda C. Mazzu at [email protected], or by phone at 435-834-4700. To contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, contact Roya Mogadam, Deputy Assistant Regional Director, External Affairs at [email protected], or by phone at 303-236-4572.