The Bridger-Teton National Forest has released additional details regarding a rock slide that occurred near the mouth of the intermittent spring in Swift Creek Canyon east of Afton. The Forest Service has implemented “an emergency closure for the Periodic Spring drainage…in the immediate area where the intermittent spring comes out of the rock” according to a statement released by the Bridger-Teton.

The slide has “obstructed the intermittent spring causing abnormal pressure on the water system. The Forest Service is working closely with the Town of Afton, as this is part of the municipal water supply for the town.”

Stephen Malik with Lincoln County Emergency Management stated that at this time it appears that the town’s water supply remains secure.

The area going up to where the spring emerges from the rock is closed, but the trail to the picnic area is open. “There is quite a bit of debris in the area and the area is still unstable,” said Greys River District Ranger Justin Laycock. “There are still rocks falling and a lot of movement of the debris.”

“The picnic area and the parking lot remain open, and the public is welcome to use that first ¾-mile section of the area,” Laycock said. “Public safety and coordination with the Town of Afton remains our top priority, and we are urging the public to use caution in the area as heavy machinery could be working in there in the very near future,” he continued. “As the situation is dynamic, I encourage everyone to check with the Ranger District Office on the latest conditions before heading there to recreate,” Laycock stated.