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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Officials are warning people to avoid the murky American Fork River after water tests revealed elevated lead levels in the sediment.
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality said in a news release Friday that "caution" signs will be posted telling people to avoid wading in the water or walking along the banks. Children are most at risk.
Work on the Tibble Fork Dam turned the water downstream black due to fine-grained sediments, killing trout and possibly degrading aquatic habitat.
People fishing in the river are told to catch and release as a precaution. State officials are testing fish to see if there are any long term effects.
The tests revealed lower lead levels in the water. That means animals can drink the water and farmers can use it to irrigate their crops.
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