Because the water is unsafe to drink, he has closed the spring located on "the River Road" (Rt. 128) just outside Moab, Utah to public use.

Since 1980, Adamson said he has taken many steps to solve water quality problems with the spring. But this time, he said, a simple fix will not work because the contamination is entering the water flow somewhere away from the spring.

Adamson said a "geologic shift," has occurred that he believes is causing the contamination. He said that water has now begun coming out of the cliff several feet to the right of the spring.

Adamson said the water samples he took from Matrimony Spring on Jan. 13 and 27 both indicated the presence of total coliform. Fecal coliform was not detected, he said. It is impossible to justify the expense of testing for particular pathogens so total coliform is universally used as an indicator of the potential presence of disease-causing organisms, Adamson said.

- Moab Times Independent