President’s Day Monday Feb, 17, 2025, dawned clear and very cold in Devils Lake, ND. What would normally have been a day off for all city employees turned out to be exactly the opposite for many of them as a large water main break was detected early in the day. On 10th Street NE a virtual fountain of water bubbled up from the street affecting the supply to the city’s water tower.
It was “all hands on deck” to battle the extreme cold temperatures, wind chills of more than -25 and tons of water flowing down the streets and avenues below the water tower in the city. By later in the day through the valiant efforts of city workers the break was managed and repaired, however the city’s water supply was compromised during the break and now the entire city was under a “Boil Order.” Instructions were posted on the city’s website as a precaution for residents, according to Mike Grafgaard, City Engineer. “Whenever there is a catastrophic break like this one, the protocol is to issue this kind of warning to make sure residents are safe.” No contaminants were detected, but merely the possibility that they might have compromised the city’s water delivery system is enough to issue the warning.
By 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18 Grafsgaard was pretty certain that the “Boil Order” would be lifted probably by tomorrow afternoon sometime – that would be Wednesday, Feb. 19. He stated that the testing would be on-going from various different sites along the way to make sure before lifting the alert.
By the time you are reading this story in the Devils Lake Journal on Thursday, Feb. 20 everything should be “back to normal” Grafsgaard assured this reporter. Check the city’s website to make sure before using water from your home faucet.
Grafsgaard emphasized how happy he was that city workers were able to isolate the break and repair it as quickly as they could. “Most people recognize that and understand,” he stated.
Most of the bottled water available in the city was purchased during this crisis as it was reported that Leever’s and WallMart both were out of bottled water by early Tuesday morning.
Grafsgaard told the Journal that the location of the break was in a very large pipe that was approximately 70 years old. Somehow the extreme cold weather contributed to the break as the aging pipe was rigid and when the frozen ground shifted it was enough to cause the break.
Community rallys to help
Numerous local businesses reached out to assist the city workers who had to work in these extreme conditions. An unconfirmed report said that Proz End of the Line sent over fresh pizza and other food to help workers as they battled the water main break. Someone brought over a heated enclosure to act as a warming house for the workers faced with below zero temperatures, icy water and the extreme conditions. The ND Coffee Connection offered free hot coffee and chili for the workers, too.
Editor’s Note: For more specific information regarding this community crisis, see Boil Notice on page 2 and the Fact Sheets 1, 2, and 3 on pages 2 and 3 inside today’s DLJ. Clip and save them in your files in case a similar emergency happens in the future.
