JACKSON, Wyo. — E. coli levels in Fish Creek have been flagged as exceeding safe levels for swimming, marking a continued problem with contamination in the stream.
The Teton County Health Department (TCHD), in partnership with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WYDEQ) and the Teton Conservation District announced that a caution sign has been placed on Fish Creek by Hunt Bridge after testing found E. coli concentrations there to be above the safe body contact threshold. People are urged to avoid swimming or floating that stretch of water, located north of downtown Wilson off of Fish Creek Road.
Testing for E. coli is conducted about every two weeks at five sites on Fish Creek and four sites on Flat Creek from May through September, according to David Lee of Teton Conservation District (TCD), who is in charge of the testing. Recent samples flagged the presence of high levels of E. coli about 500 meters above the Hunt Bridge site, Lee told Buckrail. The caution sign will be taken down once two tests come back below levels of concern, set by WDEQ at 235 organisms per 100 mL.
High concentrations of E. coli can also indicate the presence of other pathogens that are not tested for, such as norovirus and Giardia, according to Lee, making it all the more important for people to heed caution signs.
TCHD said in a press release that “awareness signs” have also been posted at recreation points along Fish Creek, as well as along Flat Creek, reminding swimmers to be aware of the risk of waterborne pathogens. E. coli levels at the other sites below Teton Village on Fish Creek have also reached the danger threshold but do not have signage since they aren’t high-use recreation areas.
Fish Creek was listed as an impaired water body by WDEQ in 2020 after dangerous levels of E. coli bacteria were found in its water. Signs warning of the risk of E. coli exposure have become a yearly summer occurrence on the shores of the creek.
Where is the bacteria coming from? Lee says that past studies and more recent data collected by TCD is suggesting that livestock feces is a big contributor, along with human sewage runoff and wildlife fecal matter. A report on sources of contamination is expected to come out later this year.
The Teton Conservation District last year introduced a Fish Creek Watershed Management Plan to improve the creek’s water quality to meet regulatory requirements. The plan is still under development, according to the Teton County Water Quality Management Plan, released in May 2024.
