End of a tradition...

Courtesy of the Moab Times Independent

Workers from the Grand County Road Department used heavy equipment to pull out the spring box and water pipe from Matrimony Spring, just outside of Moab, Utah, that was a popular water source used by residents and visitors to the area.
The Grand County Council voted July 21 to return the spring to its "natural state" by removing the box and piping. The council's decision followed months of discussion and public protest that began when the spring was closed in February on the orders of the Southeastern Utah District Department sanitarian, who reported finding levels of total coliform in tests performed on water from the spring.
The council voted to remove the pipe and spring box on the recommendation of the Grand County Attorney, who advised that those actions would limit the county's possible liability by effectively ending the spring's status as a community water source.
Mindful of the spring's historic value and the public's level of interest in it, the council last month assigned a committee to explore a "full range of options," and to seek public input regarding the spring's future.

Note: Moab City water is now available from a spigot near the end of the new bicycle/footbridge over the Colorado river.