Kelsey Ruehling, a University of Wyoming graduate student, found that human sewage is the greatest contributor to identifiable fecal bacterial contamination in Fish and Flat creeks.
She hypothesizes that septic systems near groundwater flows and aging sewer lines are to blame.
“This all boils down to this really high connectivity between groundwater and surface water,” Ruehling said. “You have to be very, very conscientious of what’s going into the ground that could be transported by groundwater.”