The Grand Canyon’s Water Is Supposed to be Pristine. Scientists Just Found Pharmaceuticals in It.

Read the full article by Owen Clarke (Outsider).

“The Grand Canyon is one of the world’s most famous waterways, and its stretch of the Colorado River and its tributaries are protected. But a new study has discovered that some of the canyon’s water systems may contain pharmaceutical drugs and forever chemicals.

Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and National Park Service (NPS) found multiple contaminants of concern (CECs) in water emerging from several springs near the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. These areas include the Bright Angel Wash, Monument Spring, and Upper Horn Bedrock Spring.

The USGS published the findings in a scientific investigation report last December.

Monument Spring, which feeds into the Colorado River, showed traces of multiple pharmaceutical medications, including an antibiotic, antifungal, antidepressant, and a diabetic drug. The amounts are small, but experts say the findings indicate wastewater from a nearby treatment plant is somehow seeping back to the canyon and the Colorado River, a major water source for plants, animals, and humans in the region.” …