A network of unapproved mountain bike trails was recently shut down in Stowe, Vermont to protect local drinking water.
According to a Stowe Reporter article, utility workers with the Edward Farrar Utility District—the water provider for roughly 1,000 customers in the area—used sticks, tape, and signs to block mountain bike trails leading into the woods off Waterworks Road in Stowe.
Local officials said the trails will remain closed until they can decide how to maintain the trails without interfering with the water supply.
The trails were built without permission over several decades.
Officials said they can’t tolerate the continued expansion of the trails, including new features built this summer. They said the features have increased the rate of soil erosion in the area, heightening concerns about water contamination.
Read more about a Vermont utility shutting down mountain bike trails in Stowe.
