State regulators issued an emergency order to Sorrel River Ranch Resort and Spa in southeastern Utah after workers reported unsafe drinking water conditions.
The Utah Division of Drinking Water ordered the $800-a-night resort to stop operating its surface water treatment plant and provide an alternative source of potable water for guests. The state agency rated the resort's public water system as "Not Approved," its lowest compliance designation.
Resort employees reported being directed to wash dishes and their hands in swimming pool water. Workers also told regulators they were directed to give guests bottled water while tanks were filled with water hauled in from an unknown source, according to Axios, which first reported the findings.
The surface water treatment plant pulls water from the adjacent Colorado River and cleans it using chemical feed pumps. State officials said the plant typically serves 260 people, including 180 guests at the luxury resort.
Employee reports and state inspection
State officials said the treatment plant had been running without a certified operator. An employee had recently been transferred from the resort's housekeeping staff to serve as the system's treatment operator.
The Utah Division of Drinking Water sent an inspector to the property following the reports from staff. The inspector determined that the chemical feed pumps had likely failed before July 28 and confirmed that the workers operating the plant lacked required state certification.
During the inspection, regulators discovered that alum, a chemical used to force impurities to coagulate into filterable particles, had turned into a thick gel rather than remaining liquid. Regulators noted that alum serves as the plant's primary chemical barrier against waterborne disease.
Chemical failure and regulatory violations
State regulators said the gelled chemical indicated the treatment system had likely failed completely for a prolonged period. They added that the failure may have led guests to blindly drink actively unsafe and un-disinfected surface water.
The state cited Sorrel River Ranch Resort and Spa for multiple violations, including failure to report an emergency, operating without a certified operator, malfunctioning instrumentation, and process interruptions that could cause drinking water contamination.
Regulators ordered the resort to post a Tier 1 "Do Not Use" public notice and supply bottled water to guests. Under the notice, guests were instructed to avoid using resort water for any purpose, including drinking, food preparation, brushing teeth, or bathing.
Corrective actions and management response
To resume operating the treatment plant, the resort must hire a certified operator, obtain state approval before hauling water from outside sources, restore monitoring and recordkeeping, install a working chlorine analyzer, and complete full compliance sampling.
Jason Roma, general manager of Sorrel River Ranch, released a statement to KUTV addressing the regulatory action. "Sorrel River Ranch is aware of the concerns regarding its water system. The safety of our guests and employees remains our highest priority," Roma said.
Roma added that the resort is working with regulators to resolve the issues. "We are cooperating fully with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality and other applicable health authorities and are taking all required corrective actions," Roma said. "As this is an active regulatory matter, we are unable to comment further at this time. We remain committed to resolving the matter promptly and in full accordance with all regulatory requirements." Additional comment was sought from Sorrel River Ranch Resort and Spa.
