Copyright Newsweek
There has been a report that the drinking water in California's smallest National Park has turned brown, while having a peculiar smell, according to the San Francisco news outlet SFGATE. Per the outlet, the National Park Service (NPS) said it was unaware of the issue. Newsweek has contacted the NPS and the Department of the Interior (DOI) outside of regular working hours via email for comment. Why It Matters There was significant concern raised about whether the parks should remain open during the federal government shutdown due to concerns about user safety and the maintenance of the parks at reduced staff levels. During the last government shutdown in 2019, President Donald Trump ordered parks to remain open to the public, but trash piled up, restrooms become unsanitary, and the parks were vandalized. This shutdown, the NPS is already under strain following a 20 percent reduction in staff and severe budget cuts implemented earlier this year, prompting the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) to warn it is "dangerous" to allow Americans to use the parks at present. What To Know Outdoor education course director Andrew Snow told SFGATE that one of the drinking water spigots near his campsite in Pinnacles National Park was generating brown-colored water, which he said was "pretty gnarly." Snow, who was set to lead a week of activities like hiking, climbing and camping for 50 middle school students, reportedly approached a camp host about the issue, saying he needed to "get water for these kids." He said the host told him that the maintenance worker who normally visits the spigots every few days was not carrying out the task due to the federal government shutdown. Snow added that the host told him to "rig something up and leave the spigot open for about an hour" to flush the system. Photos Snow shared with SFGATE show the difference between the color of the water after it had been flushed—with the first water collected clearly brown in color, and the flushed water looking a more normal color. It is not clear exactly what caused the change in color of the water, but the environmental news outlet greenmatters.com, reported that it could be due to leaves, dirt and natural tannin. What People Are Saying NPS spokesperson Elizabeth Peace told SFGATE: "Water operators are running at full capacity and we have not received complaints from visitors about the water." What Happens Next While the federal government shutdown continues, more and more reports of bad behavior and issues occurring at various National Parks have been surfacing, and based on previous concerns raised about the parks remaining open during the shutdown, these issues could continue until staffing levels are returned to normal.
