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Latex paint and mortar residue contaminated City Creek after the materials were dumped into a storm drain from two homes in the Avenues, fire crews said.
The homeowners are not disclosing details as to who dumped the waste, said Salt Lake City Fire Battalion Chief Clair Baldwin.
The appearance of milky fluid in the creek led authorities to close Memory Grove temporarily Tuesday night; other witnesses said they noticed the chemicals in the water as early as Monday, Baldwin said.
Crews planned to flush the remaining paint and mortar down the storm drain throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday morning,
"Because this is water-soluble material, there is no way to recover [it]," Baldwin said. "The only thing we can do is dilute it."
Baldwin estimated about 20 gallons of paint had been dumped into the creek, lowering earlier estimates of up to 100 gallons. The amount of mortar in the creek isn't clear, he said.
The chemicals are not believed to pose a threat to people, Baldwin said.
"We're not sure how toxic it is to wildlife or fish," he said.
Both of the suspects' homes are between 9th and 14th Avenues and between H and E Streets, Baldwin said. Both have work being done that would involve paint or mortar, he said.
Anyone with information as to the contamination should call police at 801-799-3000.
Memory Grove reopen ed late Tuesday, Baldwin said.