Recreators have varying levels of concern after E. coli advisory issued at Salem Pond
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- A boy jumps into Salem Pond on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.
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- Two boys kayak at Salem Pond on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.
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- A warning advisory is posted at Salem Pond on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.
An E. coli warning advisory was issued at Salem Pond by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality on Aug. 1.
It warns recreators not to drink or swim in the water and to avoid getting water in the mouth while paddling or skiing. It notes that boating and fishing are OK, though eating the fish is not advised.
On Tuesday afternoon, a sparse crowd of people recreating at Salem Pond had varying levels of concerns regarding the advisory. Some people fished, a few kayaked and one group of boys jumped into the water from a bridge.
An assortment of high schoolers were enjoying their final day of summer break by paddleboarding. They were uninterested in participating in a formal interview about the issue, though one kid offered, “This is America. I have the right to go to the pond, whether there’s E. Coli or not.”
Other people around were more willing to chat.
Cassidy Davies, of Santaquin, was fishing with her two children. She said they would throw back what they caught, but not because of the E. coli.
“Usually I don’t try to drink pond water regardless of an advisory,” Davies said. “But I wouldn’t be afraid of E. coli on the fish, if you cook them all the way.”
Davies said this was her second time going to the pond since the warning was issued and that there weren’t many people there either time despite it being nice weather. She assumed E. coli was to blame.
On her first visit this month, Davies said a police officer approached a group of kids jumping into the water, and she watched the officer warn them of the E. coli risks.
“They were such punk kids,” she said. “They were like, ‘I think we’re good.’ And the officer goes, ‘Well, you might get vomiting and diarrhea.’ And one kid goes, ‘I’ve had it before. I’m fine.’ I couldn’t believe these kids were talking to this police officer that way.”
Another mother at the pond Tuesday, Sarah Bennett of Lehi, was watching her younger children on paddleboards. She was unaware of the advisory, but after being informed, determined to get her children out of the water, worried that her youngest would drink it.
“It’s too bad these things happen in fun little ponds, because this is a really fun place to be,” Bennett said. “I guess we’ll go to a swimming pool.”
Ellen Bailey, a recreational health advisory program coordinator for the DEQ, said Tuesday that Salem Pond will continued to be tracked for bacteria levels until the issue is resolved, adding that the state is in communication with Salem City on updated lab samples.
High levels of E. coli, Bailey warned, are an indicator of waterborne pathogens, or different viruses or bacteria that may be carried in fecal contamination.
“There’s a variety of different causes,” she said. “Pet waste, if there’s agricultural areas, animal runoff.”
E. coli was also found at Highland Glen Reservoir on Aug. 4, though the reservoir was placed on a health watch — not a warning — and swimming is allowed with caution, according to the DEQ website.
Bailey said the state’s website is a good source to stay updated on recreational water safety.
“We don’t have information on every water body, but definitely what we know and what we hear,” she said. “If we hear of any concerns or issues, we’ll check it out, and we try to add that information onto the website.”
