Kelsey Ruehling spent summer 2021 collecting water samples in Fish and Flat Creeks, hoping to pin down sources of E. Coli contamination in both. She will present her findings to the public and Teton Conservation District board on Thursday evening.
Kelsey Ruehling spent summer 2021 collecting water samples in Fish and Flat Creeks, hoping to pin down sources of E. Coli contamination in both. She will present her findings to the public and Teton Conservation District board on Thursday evening.
A University of Wyoming graduate student will present findings Thursday from a study to determine the sources of elevated levels of E. Coli in Fish and Flat Creeks.
Kelsey Ruehling spent last summer sampling microbial pollution in both Jackson waterways and will speak to the Teton Conservation District board Thursday evening. Her presentation, focused on the results of her subsequent analysis, will be live-streamed over Zoom. Members of the public will be able to attend and ask questions.
“We know we have these bacterial impairments,” said David Lee, water resources specialist at the Teton Conservation District. “But having a really, really clear idea of sources makes it a lot easier to manage these watersheds more appropriately. If we don’t know the sources, it’s a lot harder to make significant change.”
E. Coli is a collection of bacteria found in human and animal intestines. While most strains are harmless, some can cause meningitis, septicemia, urinary tract and intestinal infections.
E. Coli’s presence in freshwater “provides direct evidence of fecal contamination from warm-blooded animals,” per the U.S. Geological Survey. In 2017, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality determined that E. Coli levels in sections of the two creeks exceeded concentrations deemed safe for recreation.
Ruehling’s research aimed to determine where the contamination was coming from, updating a 2003 microbial source tracking report that pinned wildlife — birds, in particular — as the primary source of E. Coli pollution. As for the greatest source of human-caused bacterial deposition in the two creeks, the 2003 tracking project pointed to dog poop.
Ruehling’s presentation will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday, with time for questions afterwards. (Zoom ID is 885 9755 3478. To call in, dial 1-253-215-8782 and enter that ID.)
Lee was careful not to divulge Ruehling’s findings before her presentation. It comes as Teton County begins creating a new water quality master plan. The presentation follows spirited debates about how — and whether — to regulate existing septic systems in Jackson Hole.
Contact Billy Arnold at 732-7063 or barnold@jhnewsandguide.com.
Billy Arnold has been covering the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the people who manage it since January 2022. He previously spent two years covering Teton County government, and a year editing Scene. Tips welcomed.
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