This would be hard to do on a reservoir as small as Lake Nighthorse. Non-body-contact water-based recreation, particularly the use of two-stroke carbureted gasoline engines that discharge exhaust into the water, and the use of petroleum-powered vehicles and tools on the ice, should be discouraged. These guidelines were developed to prevent contamination of public drinking water with coliform bacteria, gasoline, fuel additives and oil.

The proponents of recreational use on or near Lake Nighthorse must be required to provide technical evidence supporting the claim that such activity will not adversely affect the water quality, or the public health of the water consumer served by this water supply. If their proposals for recreational use are inconsistent with this policy, they should be rejected.

Where recreational uses of a drinking water source are being considered, the public health risks should be communicated to drinking water consumers by the decision-makers, including plans for protection and enforcement designed to minimize the risk of contamination and degradation of water quality.

Lou Fontana

Durango