Notorious Idaho Hot Spring Will Be Destroyed

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Skinny Dipper Hot Springs is being eliminated. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management in an announcement Monday says the unauthorized construction in west-central Idaho will be removed and the area closed for five years to allow rehabilitation.

The agency says law enforcement officials have had to respond to the area four miles east of Banks more than 125 times in the last five years for incidents that include underage drinking, illegal drug use, vehicle break-ins, sexual assault and two deaths. The agency also says the area commonly contains bio-hazardous material including human feces and discarded hypodermic needles.

Officials say the hot springs were constructed with piping and concrete on public lands in the 1990s without permission. Anyone wishing to appeal the closure must do so before May 28.