The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) just announced that Fish Creek, the beloved Snake River tributary renowned for its historically robust cutthroat trout fishery, has been officially listed as impaired due to nutrient pollution. This is a big deal: Fish Creek is the first flowing waterbody to be nutrient-impaired in the entire state of Wyoming.
The effects of nutrient pollution can reach far beyond the bounds of the river channel as well. Nitrate, in particular, is a threat to human health when consumed in drinking water.