By Erick George, Valley News Live
SPIRIT LAKE RESERVATION, N.D. (Valley News Live) – The people of the Spirit Lake Reservation are facing another setback as their water emergency will now continue deep into the summer.
Tribal leaders announced on Tuesday, July 1, that the water consumption ban has been pushed back for the third time.
The new date officials are aiming for to have clean drinking water by is Friday, August 22. They say the new date reflects their timeline for the implementation of a permanent water treatment system.
Daily bottled water distribution will continue during this time, although distribution may be affected on Thursday, July 3, and Friday, July 4, due to Holiday-related office closures. Full service is expected to resume on Saturday, July 5.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Tribal leaders say the previously scheduled water system flushing has been postponed. A new schedule has not yet been publicly released.
The water consumption ban has been in place since May 28, when elevated levels of Manganese were detected in their water supply.
