Finley water service restored after 5 days

FINLEY, N.D. — After not having it for five days, water is flowing into Finley again as of Wednesday, April 22.

The city ran out of water on Friday, April 17. For some of the city’s 400 residents that meant coming to the center of town to use a porta-potty. Some traveled 25 miles to Mayville State University to take a shower.

Residents are being asked to flush toilets and run water through faucets and spigots to clear out lines, officials said. They also were advised not to use water to drink, bathe, wash hands or do laundry.

Despite the good news, the city is still handing out water until the state gives the all clear that the water is safe.

“Having an 11-month-old has been really interesting with little to no water. Using friends, family to go shower, bathe has been a big thing,” said Kaydon Kenfield, a Finley resident.

On Wednesday, April 22, teachers and upperclassmen at the Finley Sharon School handed out water.

The school was closed Monday, and they had e-learning days Tuesday and Wednesday. Classes won’t resume at the school until the water is deemed safe.

“Trying to give back to the community a little bit to show that people are here to help and give the resources that we need,” said Ashlyn Olson, a Finley-Sharon School junior.

The lack of water has been more than just an inconvenience. It’s had an impact on local businesses in this Steele County community. The Town & Country Co-op would normally be packed at lunch time. They were closed for the first couple of days. Now, they are operating on a limited menu.

“To eliminate some extra dishes since we don’t have a good way to wash them and sanitize,” said Troy Winger, co-op general manager.

“It wasn’t you can’t use the water, there is no water,” said Ben Gates, the Steele County emergency manager.

WDAY has learned the problem in Finley has been traced back to a water main break last week in Sharon, N.D. The Dakota Rural Water District did not realize until Tuesday, April 21, that an issue with that repair was preventing water from reaching the city.

“In order to do that it takes time, it takes engineer involvement, it’s a long process that they worked through very fast,” Gates said.

With the water once again flowing, residents are looking forward to resuming their daily routines.

“We still have some dirty clothes that we have to wash,” said resident Tyrone Hauge.

As residents turn the water back on for the first time, the water may be tinted and may look weird, but emergency leaders say that’s normal for right now.

Officials said local testing is promising, but samples are being sent to Bismarck for confirmation to get the full go-ahead, which is expected by Thursday or Friday.

Matt Henson is an Emmy award-winning reporter/photographer/editor for WDAY. Prior to joining WDAY in 2019, Matt was the main anchor at WDAZ in Grand Forks for four years.