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Just got my permit back from SNP for our Labor Day weekend trip in the Rincons. Along with the permits was a note that Spud Rock Spring was contaminated and there was no way to make the water potable. I called to get more info and confirmed that no boiling, filtering, or chlorine treatment would be sufficient. They couldn't tell me what was contaminating the water and there were no current reports for nearby springs like Deer Head or Mud Hole on Turkey Creek Trail #34.

We are heading up Turkey Creek and camping at Spud Rock camp for our first night. If anyone has current spring info for Turkey Creek Trail, that would be fabulous!

Sarae wrote:confirmed that no boiling, filtering, or chlorine treatment would be sufficient.

The spring is radioactive?

chumley wrote:The spring is radioactive?

Or else some other type of heavy metal contamination. This is the first I've heard of it.

Sounds like some sort of BS to me. When I was in Utah last a guy I ran into as I was leaving Little Death Hollow asked me where the good water was. I said well here in the creek, the Escalante etc but you'd need to treat it. He said he had been told the Escalante was unusable due to fertilizer runoff from the fields upstream. And cows in the upper area from where I was. I told him my tale of years past filtering water in this very area downstream from a dead cow. I've treated water from springs with animal poo in the water. I've drunk from springs unfiltered. I've used the Escalante etc for my water sources with no problem. Only deal is in the Swell area in Utah with all the uranium mines the water is pretty mineralized, and you won't glow in the dark but your bathroom experiences might be a bit interesting later on. If water doesn't look like it's pristine then something's wrong with it. The early settlers weren't so darn picky---- End of soap box note.

I did find it strange that they couldn't tell me what it is contaminated with.

They had filtered water up top at Manning Camp that the Rangers didn't mind sharing. We were just there a couple weeks ago. I can't imagine what could be up? I agree with Redroxx44.

When we got up there, the spring was completely dry and looked like someone/thing had been digging in it. There were piles of dried mud along the edges of the spring. Not sure why they couldn't just say that the spring was dry. Strange. There still seemed to be quite a bit of moisture on the hillside above the spring among the ferns and aspen, but we couldn't find any pools or new spring locations, just lots of damp ground. Glad we had lugged up enough water to get us to Manning the next day where the stream was flowing. I'll be posting spring reports with my triplog when I get that done.

Sarae wrote:the spring was completely dry and looked like someone/thing had been digging in it.

Maybe someone took samples to test the H2O for contaminants.

I hope they give a more complete answer, whatever the reason. I'd like to get back up there before too long.