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Human waste in Jackson Hole’s creeks sparks debate

Fecal bacteria is making its way into two of Jackson Hole’s prized waterways.
The question: Where, exactly, is fecal bacteria in Fish and Flat Creeks coming from?

The WDEQ and a University of WY graduate student have separately detected levels of E. coli in Fish Creek, which flows through downtown Wilson, that exceed the threshold deemed safe for human recreation.

The UW student has hypothesized that septic systems and sewer lines could be impacting both creeks, pointing to elevated spring groundwater flows that appear, from data she presented, to be likely culprits of carrying microbial waste from either system into the creeks.

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