Whitney Portal Water

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10b4me

Mountain climber

Retired

Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 17, 2017 - 12:14pm PT

U.S. Forest Service - Inyo National Forest

The water system at Whitney Portal has been ordered to be shut off.

The system’s source has tested positive for both E. coli and total coliform. The cause of the contamination is unknown at this point and therefore cannot be corrected.

As this system is the only potable water system in the Whitney Portal, this closure affects all areas in the Portal, including the Whitney Portal (family and group) and Whitney Portal Trailhead Campgrounds, recreation residences, and the Whitney Portal Store. It also affects the spigots at the overflow and hiker parking lot.

Visitors to the area are advised to bring water while recreating in Whitney Portal.

climber

Just Livin' the Dream...

Aug 17, 2017 - 12:22pm PT

Bummer!

You never realize how precious water is until you run dry getting to the top of Whitney...and the dehydration hallucinations won't let you find a path back down.

rwedgee

Ice climber

Aug 17, 2017 - 03:25pm PT

It was shut off a couple weeks ago so the restaurant couldn't serve food but the store was open, Sunday the 13th they said that they were open and serving food. Fecal burgers ??
I was on the mountain in July(NF) and 2 weeks ago on the main trail which I saw ~20 WAG bags stashed along the trail. they were there up and back(11 hours) and a bunch of pieces of WAG bag in the streams. Not sure if critters tore them apart of heavy runoff unearthed them butt there is definitely an issue with human waste. Someone on the portal board said the water problem wasn't related to the WAG bags butt hey....it flows down hill right ?

NutAgain!

Trad climber

South Pasadena, CA

Aug 18, 2017 - 02:13am PT

Merde.

Ken M

Mountain climber

Los Angeles, Ca

Aug 18, 2017 - 10:02am PT

Doug (owner of the WPS) notes that the USFS has done extensive testing of the surrounding waters, and it is not contaminated, meaning that there is no source that can be treated.

I would imagine that they are using bottled water, or tap water from Lone Pine, for food prep at the store.

Apparently, it is one tap in the family campground which is affected, but it is a common source in the entire area, so it is all shut down at this point.