Vernal City Mayor Corey Foley is very concerned about the safety of the area’s water supply at Ashley Springs as he says Uintah County’s determination to grow their access to the Via Ferrata in Ashley Gorge has escalated. Foley received a letter from Uintah County via certified mail at his home address, dated June 30, 2026, regarding the ‘Ashley Gorge Easement Agreement’. The letter says it serves as a final notice “that there are no easements for the bridge that crosses Ashley Creek near the spring house…Going forward, if easements are not obtained within 60 days of the date of this correspondence, any and all structures, pipelines, or property that were placed on the County’s Ashley Gorge property without permission will be locked and/or removed.” Mayor Foley says the footbridge that the County wants access to in order to get people on and off the Via Ferrata is not designed for foot traffic. Rather, it is for an occasional maintenance person accessing the Ashley Springs for utility purposes. And as far as the statement that the County will lock and/or remove all structures or property, Mayor Foley says that the only way he knows how to read that is the County will remove the crucial infrastructure for our area’s main water supply if they are not granted the access they desire. Mayor Foley emphasized that he does not have a problem with the Via Ferrata but that the inconvenient access to the recreation site is not a valid reason to compromise the safety of the Ashley Springs and its infrastructure. The full letter referenced is shared below.
